Minimum Ride
by Serenity.Jones
Summary: All Mini ever wanted was to find her twin sister, Max, and to be accepted. But now that she has what she wants, it seems as if her happy days with her new found family are numbered. Will Mini find the strength to fight back an old friend? Fanax
1. Prolougue

**Hey guys, its me(again). I just wanted to let you guys in on some important facts about this story.**

**1) Everything until Minimum/Expiremnt 6 turns 15 is up to date on Max's fourth book. Although The fifth is shortly coming, It does not exist.  
2) Angel cannot, breathe under water or talk to fish, and shift-shape. She can only read minds and control them, move objects.  
3) Gazzy is a complete shift-shaper and mimicry  
4) There are at least 3 different plot lines, you'll find out later.  
5) Love intrest and triangles are in later chapters that are slowly growing  
6) Minimum is Maximum's _Identical Twin Sister_, as cliche as that sounds, its true.  
****7) Prepare for the Minimum Ride of the Maximum.  
8) Thanks for reading.**

**Serenity.**

* * *

After the human-avian Batchelder twins were born, the second of their kind, conjoined at the head, the scientists at the branch of Itex in Death Valley knew in that backs of their minds that they would be expired. Fighting to save the twins' lives, Jeb Batchelder made a deal with the Director of the Itex Corporation. If he and his colleagues, Dr. Ter Borcht and Dr. Black, could separate the twins successfully, the Director, Marian Janssen, could experiment on them as much as she wanted to.

Through the surgery Batchelder, Ter Borcht, and Black separated the twin girls successfully, but they realized that the slightly younger of the two had something wrong with her growth rate, compared to her identical sister. Though none of the scientists could solve the problem, she lived. The scientists separated the girls completely from any physical and verbal contact with each other. In doing so, they wanted to test the difference between the two children. Placing each girl in opposite rooms of the School, they were tested.

Three years later, the father of the twins walked through the halls of the School in the dead of night. He strode to the door that held a sign above it saying: **TOP SECRET, KEEP OUT**. He slid his identification key through the panel, opening the door to the laboratory. Jeb Batchelder walked through the door and into the room, his eyes skimming the cages that lined the walls. Each cage held an experiment. He walked past each cage, stopping at the very last one. It held a small, sleeping form. Reading the clipboard that held all the information for the experiment, Jeb smiled. He opened the cage and shook the experiment's leg. He reached out to grab his younger daughter from her containment.

"Batchelder!" interrupted a booming female voice from the hidden speaker, most likely the director of this Itex corporation branch. "This room is off-limits to you."

"Considering th-," Jeb began, but he shook his head, wondering if a smart-aleck response would get him fired or not. He decided to play it safe. "I'm her father, and she is going to go see her sister."

"Batchelder, if you take her to see anything more than that, all three of you will be expired. I have no qualms about killing." The voice sounded more threatening than before.

Jeb picked his daughter up and left the room quickly, walking down the hall he had just come from. A few left and right turns and they were soon in a room that could have been mistaken for a garage. There was a cement ceiling, non-insulated walls, and shelves covered in metal and plastic cages alike. Each cage held a different experiment. Most experiments died, of course. If they were strong, they lived, like these experiments. They were survivors.

And when the younger daughter saw her other half, she struggled out of Jeb's arms and ran to her. The girl in the cage turned her head slowly around to see what was practically her face reflected to her from outside of her cage. The two girls were identical. The girl in the cage gave her sister a blank stare and scooted back in her cage as far as possible. When their dad caught up to the twins, he introduced them as best as he could. Neither experiment had an official name, so he called them by what the clipboard said.

"Experiment Five, meet your sister, Experiment Six. Experiment Six, meet your sister, Experiment Five."

Each twin gave the other a blank stare; how were they supposed to react to this encounter? Jeb opened the cage, which was bigger than the younger twin's previous one. He helped her into the cage and shut the door. And then the twins watched him walk away.

"I big dan you," Experiment Five said, her face still expressionless.

"I know," her sister said. She was cheerful, for this cage was much bigger than her previous one. Experiment Six could actually stretch her legs out with room to spare.

Experiment Five smiled and spoke again. "'Cause I is way big dan you."

"I know." By now the younger sister had started to frown, wondering why her sister really was a few inches taller than her.

"No cry," Experiment Six said, "I no hurt you, you know." Her voice was sincere. Experiment Six nodded her head and reached for a hug that was accepted. The first hug the girls shared.

A few hours or so passed. The twins were sleeping in their cage, curled next to each other for warmth, when their dad finally came back. His face was full of sorrow.

"Let's get you into another room," he told his smaller daughter when he got close enough, waking the girls up abruptly with his loud footsteps. He unlocked the cage door and pulled his smaller daughter out of it, away from her sister. Experiment Five grabbed the hem of her sister's gown, holding her back. Experiment Six turned to meet her sister's eyes and attempted to brush her sister's fingers off her gown. Shaking her head, the older twin spoke with firmness.

"No."

"I gotta to."

Jeb yanked his younger daughter away from her sister one last time. He slammed the door to Experiment Five's cage loudly and locked it swiftly. He led Experiment Six out of the room, keeping a tight hold on her wrists as the walked through the halls of the laboratory. As they sped through the halls, Experiment Six peeked into a couple of rooms with open doors. One room was a medical room and a few scientists were crowded around a table, working slowly on an experiment's eyes. Another held a boy with dark hair who appeared to be fighting the human-lupine experiments while scientists took notes.

Eventually they came to a large room that was empty except for scientific equipment on a table in the middle of the room and a small cage.

Experiment Six grew up in that room, until she was about ten years old. Testing was the main thing that happened in the room. The so-called 'doctors' frequently drew blood from each arm and leg, and then placed sensors all over her forehead, chest, arms, and stomach. Then they usually proceeded with testing. Sometimes they placed her on a treadmill, running her for hours on end at 100mph. Sometimes it was a wind tunnel, which made her wings ache. It wasn't unusual for the scientists to test different drugs on her, and then give her the antidote before the true torture of the poison could take effect.

The only good part of her life was when her dad came. Jeb taught her gymnastics for about an hour a week. Jeb never did the moves, but he taught Experiment Six effectively. She learned how you could flip and then fly while fighting, all thanks to her father. He also taught her how to do the splits to duck, and hand springs to get out of the way quickly even though she was extremely fast at running. Cartwheels to kick, and flips to get ready to fly. Experiment Six personally thought of herself as a natural to flexibility.

When Experiment Six turned approximately ten years old, her life was flipped upside down. Her dad had made her a promise when she was five. A promise that he would get them out of there. A promise that Experiment Six would have to make come true by herself, because her father left her behind.


	2. The Begining of a New Life

**Hey, guys chapter is finally revised. So that's good news. It's long so that should make you guys bounce off walls. :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride or any other characters in the book.  
Claimer: I only own Minimum Ride, this story, and everything that has happened in her life.**

The sky was just turning pink and orange when I woke up to the sound of a car engine. Peeking through the one-way window that was beyond my small, crappy cage, I saw the heavy metal door swoosh open to find my daddy opening cages. The room that he was in was similar to mine in looks, but a completely different room. He didn't go towards the window to break it like he had said he would; instead, he just looked at the window and winked for some reason. Then, looking back at the group of experiments, he said, "Let's hit the road kids!" and then he was gone. Gone with the others and the one that looked like me the most.

I banged on the bars of my cage and screamed for what felt like an hour. "Daddy, I'm right here!" I was usually looking out the window and right now, I felt lost. On good days, I observed the similar experiments and their actions, but because they are in cages, like me, they don't really do anything except talk softly amongst each other or sleep. After awhile I heard footsteps through my endless sobs. I saw a whitecoat through the bars of my cage. She looked tired and very annoyed. Her intern on the other hand, looked excited, as if he thought a new day would bring new excitement.

"We can hear it all the way from the fifth floor," the whitecoat grumbled to her partner, sounding like she wanted to hurt me. I continued to cry, tears streaming down my dirty face, making my face look like a zebra with stripes. I didn't say anything, afraid that if I did, something drastic that I didn't want to happen would happen.

"Jeb left with the experiments, saying he left this one behind for 'special treatment'. We can use her, Dr. Harrington," the other whitecoat said to the lady. I listened to their conversation intently, trying to pick up on as many familiar wards as I could.

"Reilly, we're dealing with the twin of Experiment Five -- the back up. Anything can happen," Dr. Harrington said flatly as she peered into my cage intently. The other, Reilly, was looking at the clipboard that was attached to my cage.

"Charts say, she's the fastest yet. Maybe we can put her in the maze," suggested Reilly as he slid his glasses back onto the top of his nose. My eyes grew wide; I had heard about the maze from the other experiments. Intensified with electric bolts to zap you if you stopped running, and heat waves throughout the floor to urge the victim to move faster. Sure I was fast at running, but would it be fast enough?

"Yes, that sounds like a good idea. In a couple hours we'll begin the procedure. Good job Reilly," Dr. Harrington praised the intern proudly as she turned to walk away from the room, leaving me alone in my cage, while Reilly continued to stare at me as I closed my puffy eyes to go back to sleep. Of course my sleep was ruined, when approximately twenty minutes later I woke to scientists buzzing around the room like busy working bees as they began to get the day ready for my torture.

My cage was shuffled onto a flat bed, my main movement carrier. It wouldn't be normal for me to actually walk by myself. As the scientists whizzed my cage into a different room, I couldn't help but realize how scary the room truly was. Although the smell was still antispetic, it seemed to be stronger. As if they just cleaned the room with bleach. The walls themselves where covered with computers and high-tech scince stuff that was to complex to fully understand. The computers kept beeping in their way so they wouldn't shut down or something. One whitecoat opened the door to my cage to place a metallic bracelet on my left ankle, and cold as it was, I had to deal with it. Walls began to move into a maze, preparing for me to go through.

Reilly, the whitecoat from earlier today, opened my cage door again and dragged me out, preparing for the maze. He pushed me to the entrance and when the bell rang, I took off.

I think I should have been in the middle of the maze, but I couldn't really tell. There were so many turns that went the wrong directions, It seemed as if I were going in circles. Taking deep breaths through my nose, I pumped my legs to go faster. Another dead end. Agitated with my outcome, I stopped for a moment to think about the turns I had made. Suddenly electricity raced up from the floor panels, and the heat burned the soles of my feet. Screaming in agony, I fell down to the burning electric floor, feeling like a barbecued kid.

"Experiment Six, get up," a voice from a loudspeaker commanded me as I slowly got to my knees. With another zap of an electric shock, I stood up once more. Taking in a deep breath, I kicked up non-existent dust as I ran for my life.

"Put in the Erasers," I heard the voice demand in a bored tone through the speakers. I felt sweat drip down my forehead as I turned another corner. There was no way I was having those things find me. A howl ripped through the air, making my heart beat faster. My lungs were aching to rest, as were my legs. Being as sore as they were, it seemed as if I was slowing down. I took a left, the opposite of the Eraser's howl. There it was, a door, leading to the exit I had been searching for.

"Forty five minutes, my God, that was slower than her twin," a whitecoat said as I pushed through the door, sinking to my knees. A whitecoat stood over me as he placed a clear tube into my mouth. Water. Sucking on it feriously, I listened to the conversation between the whitecoats with closed eyes.

"Speed-wise, Dr. Haufler, but have you even seen the tape? Her body was not seen until she stopped," another responded. The same doctor pushed a slim plastic tube into my mouth and pressed a needle into my arm. Too exhausted to fight back, I sucked down on the water that was given to me through the tube.

"Collect the EEG's sample, Dr. Fadole," the whitecoat from earlier this morning commanded. With open eyes, I watched her walk through the doors that were in front of me, but kind of towards the left. I wasn't too sure, really The lady was annoyed with my performance, it showed on her face.

"Throw it back into the cage, it's incapable of going the next round. Our data would not be accurate," Dr. Harrington spoke once more. Once the whitecoat was done taking the sample from me, another picked up my exhausted body and threw me into my cage.

Not wanting to deal with the pain anymore, I fell into a deep sleep. Soon after a dream followed. Not bothering to pay attention to it, I woke up to a different scientist staring into my cage. She popped the latch open, her expression not showing any compassion towards me, the kind of look I always wanted.

"Follow me," she said after a moment's hesitation. The cage door slowly opened and I crawled out, stretching my legs. The whitecoat walked out of the room with me on her tail.

She took me into a room that was fairly small. It had a counter, a big tub, and lots of bottles sitting on the counter full of things that I didn't recognize. The whitecoat started to turn a large bulb above the tub and water came out, instantly making the room hot and sticky. I liked it.

"Use this one, then this one," the whitecoat said, handing me two of the small bottles from the counter. "Use everything inside." And with that she hung up a stiff towel for me and walked out the door. It closed behind her silently. I quickly pulled off my gown, dropping it to the floor. I poked the water with my index finger and then slid in. After I had sat in the tub for a few moments I cautiously laid my head under the water. I closed my eyes and dreamed of being with the group of experiments that were similar in species to me, and the one that looked like me the most. Seconds went by, and then I envisioned an Eraser grabbing at my neck.

My head shot out of the nice clean water and I looked around. I saw only the objects around me, nothing moving or alive besides my panting breath and me. I was probably dreaming again, I thought.

Then I heard a soft knock on the door. I washed up, rinsed down, and then hopped out of the tub to grab my towel. I figured that I had to wear somehow. Carefully, I ignored the knocking from the door and wrapped the towl around my torso and upper thighs. I unlocked the door to find a different whitecoat who appeared to be talking to herself. But then I noticed a small black thing connected to her ear, so I assumed she was talking to that.

"Batchelder left? Oh yes, I remember now. He's on his two-year vacation. He has brought us to the bird experiments more and more these days, by gaining some trust. It is a shame he left the runt behind." There was a pause before the white coat spoke again. "Yes, Dr. Harrington told me about Reilly's idea, sounds great Director." Her voice sort of faded to the background of my mind as I went off to my thoughts. A runt? Was that what I was, a runt? "We'll get answers out of the runt soon, Director." Another long pause. She nodded, reached up to the thing on her ear, and pressed a button, which I assumed turned it off.

I stared her. "Runt?"

"Yes," she replied, frowning, and then she smiled at me. "Can you follow me please?"

"I guess," I mumbled, looking up at her.

"Clothes, food, and a bed sound good, right?" she asked.

"Sure…" I said quietly, wondering what the heck a bed was. Not to mention food; the clothes part didn't even reach to my comprehension. The lady plastered a huge smile across her face, and then flipped her blond hair over her shoulder and turned around quickly like she was in a hurry to meet someone. We walked down the long, white halls together. The tiles were cold. With every light step I took water left a wet trail behind me. I would have loved to see a whitecoat slip down the hall because of the water. After a few turns down different halls, the lady stopped at a metal door.

The lady opened the door, leading me into another small room. I followed her and then stopped short. I stared at the large rectangular object in front of me. "A bed," she told me. "To sleep on."

I watched her carefully as she picked up some cloth stuff that came from another rectangular object that was inside the wall and laid it on top of the 'bed'. Racks of cloth were lined up inside the hole. Something about closets triggered my memory. I remembered white coats taking their coats out of a somewhat similar thing, claiming it was a 'closet'.

"Dinner is in ten minutes, so get dressed and find something productive to do," she said to me. And with that she left, the door shutting behind her. I ran to the bed, which was pink and brown, and picked up the cloth, which turned out to be clothes. I put them on; pink sweatpants and a white tank top with slits in the back were my sleeping clothes.

I sat on the bed, stretching my wings, which are now a proud ten feet long. Two soft knocks came from the metal door, stopping my distraction from a pattern on the wall.

The lady was back with that same smile plastered on her face. I flashed her a shy smile back.

"Th-thanks," I said, mumbling the word. I had never been 'thankful' for anything in my life.

"You're welcome. My name is Anne Walker and I want you to be strong and useful for yourself," Anne said cheerfully out of the blue.

_I can't trust anybody._

Anne was followed by a guy pushing a cart that had the sweet scent of the food aroma rolling off of it, making my mouth water. Anne joined me at dinner to discuss my life's plans. Well, until I was fourteen. I didn't fully understand the time frame, but I knew enough to get me going.

"Do you have a name you like to call your self?" Anne asked me as I put some edible stuff into my mouth. I shrugged my shoulders before replying.

"They tend to call me Experiment Six," I said harshly. "Or _Runt_."

Anne seemed surprised by my reply, but she responded quickly. "Oh, well, I was thinking about Mini. It's short for Minimum."

I thought about the idea of being called Minimum, or Mini. It was a simple name, not fancy or anything. "I like it." After a moment of silence, Anne changed the topic of our conversation.

"Mini, think of all the possibilities," Anne began. "Education, fighting skills, and even social skills." And get this; I was nodding. I was actually _agreeing _with her. It must be the food.

"We would do tests for you such as-" Anne began, but I interrupted her.

"Blood, physical, and mental tests, right?" I asked her sarcastically. After years of going through these kinds of experiments, their names had worn off on me.

"Precisely," she said. "Get some rest. We start everything tomorrow at 7:30." She got up, gave me a good night wave, and then walked out, the door shutting behind her. I was stunned; my life had completely flipped upside down. One day I'm doing running tests and having blood drawn. The next I'm going to be sleeping in a bed with an actual future ahead of me.

I finished my second roll. I picked up a third, took a bite out of it, and then threw its remains on my plate. Some guy with a white coat on came in and took the cart of food away from me. I crawled into my new bed. Getting under the blankets, I quickly fell into a dream.

_I was running, faster than I had ever ran before. I was racing through the forest, going at least fifty miles an hour. I was exhausted- I had been running like this for what seemed like an endless amount of time. My breath was coming in short gasps and my legs were numb, but I couldn't stop no matter how badly my body wanted me to. I couldn't stop because Erasers were chasing me. In a final effort to escape I let my wings catch some air, and then I was rising, flying about the trees. I sighed in relief, but then I screamed- a hairy paw was grabbing at my left foot. I tried to kick it away, but then it pulled me down so quickly my stomach dropped. I crumpled to the ground, landing hard. My wings folded awkwardly and painfully underneath me. Dark shapes moved towards me from the trees, and I whimpered; I knew I was screwed._

I woke up, panting, and not realizing how close my dreams were to a future reality.


	3. Becky

**Alrighty, Third chapter up and coming. As you will see, there are actually alot of differences in this chapter that where there before Blaww and I got it looking pretty.**

The next morning I woke up around when the sun was orange with a purple surronding. A cold sweat that made my pajamas stick to my body. I swung the heavy blankets off me and went to the bathroom that was connected to my bedroom and got cleaned up. Then I left the bathroom when the sun was shining bright with blue skies and white fluffy clouds that reminded me of the pillows on my bed.

Shutting my bathroom door behind me I went directly to my closet. I picked out a pair of shorts and a blue shirt that unfortunately did not have slits for my wings. I also grabbed some shoes. When I attempted to tie the laces the material clung to my foot.

Over at the mirror I pulled my hair up into a high ponytail on the back of my head so as to keep it out of my face. As I finished, I suddenly saw the reflection in the mirror of something behind me. I swiftly turned around- I thought I had seen a girl standing there. In the short second that I had glimpsed her, I took in her appearance. She had straight hair that was a deep black, purple eyes and huge, midnight-black wings. Actually, her wings were just _way_ bigger than my own. The girl made no motion towards me- and as soon as I turned around she faded into thin air. She seemed to fade into the shadows, and then she was gone.

The hairs on the back of my neck shivered as I tried to not scream in fear. "Who is she? Where the heck did she come from? Where did she go? Is she still in my room?"These frantic questions raced around my head until I had enough energy to actually speak once more."Is anyone there?" No one responded to my question. Biting my lower lip, I mustared up enough bravery to march over to the exact same spot where the girl disappeared and wave my arms around, making sure that she's really she was. I my arms bobbed in the air like flies, searching for something that no longer existed. "Its just my imagination, I thought to myself as I walked back to my mirror to put my hair into a mess. It was useless in finishing it now, i left it down and hair sticking every direction.

Then Anne came in a couple foot tappings later. I found it a bit creepy that she walked through the door just as my clock displayed the numbers, '7:30'. She had brought me cereal and orange juice on a cart. After a few moments of silence and me swallowing three bowls of cereal and two cups of juice, Anne told me some news.

"Sweetie," she began. "We found Jeb, your sister, and the group of other experiments. They are staying in Jeb's vacation home very far away."

I dropped my spoon in astonishment, and it clattered into the empty bowl. "What? I don't think I heard you right," I murmured, not truly understanding the statement Anne had made.

"We, the School, have found Jeb, your dad, along with your sister and the other experiments, in Colorado," she said slowly as if I was stupid. But then again, my knowledge of the outside world is nothing. And she did explain it to me, so bonus.

"Why didn't he take me with him? I know he saw me, I wasn't really in a cage," I asked. I wanted the true and right answers, but I knew that only he could give them to me.

"I don't know," Anne told me sympathetically. But deep down I saw her smile like there was no tomorrow in a forever.

After some awkward silence, I made a snap decision and decided to change the subject.

"Am I going to learn how to fly at all any time soon?" I asked, as I placed my hand on one of my ten-foot wings. They were pale brown with some speckled, darker brown spots.

"I'm sure you will, but you can't learn until your sister has learned, so until then, we can do other things instead." Her fake smile seemed plastered on her face.

Flipping out her notebook from her pocket, Anne listed my schedule. "First you are going to run for fifty minutes. Then you will get blood drawn, and finally we will put you up against our latest Eraser!" Anne exclaimed, smirking down on me.

I stared blankly at her. An Eraser? Nope, not going to happen, it just couldn't. I had never fought an Eraser before. My sister and that other dark experiment had been put against an Eraser, when they had behaved really badly. But I could never fight an Eraser. I'm too weak. I mean, I'm not weak; I just can't lift above two hundred and fifty pounds. That's usually the Eraser weight limit. But usually the latest means they're stronger...

By noon I had completed my running without breaking a sweat or panting like a dog. Riley, my 'doctor' muttered, "Runt's peak levels didn't change at all." He huddled in a tight circle around some other whitecoats, comparing my stats to my sister's. I stood on the treadmill, looking ahead, thinking of the dark girl. And in that same moment, she came. She stood in front of me like she had this morning. This time she spoke, but she only said one word: "Becky." And like before, she faded into thin air.

I opened my mouth to respond, to tell her to come back, but then the whitecoats turned around and Riley grabbed my wrists, saying, "Alright, Runt, back into your cage."

Later on, I had sixty ounces of blood drawn from my arm, the usual. After years of having blood drawn, you'd think I would get used to this, but I hadn't. When the second meal came around I was stuck in a cage, once again. I wasn't allowed to leage the bars until I finished the cup of goop. I think it was soup or something, but the meal was very small. Comparing it to the two past meals I had, of course. But it was better than nothing.

A door opened, then I heard low and heavy footsteps. The contuined to walk until they reached my cage. A couple beeps and the swipe of a card, my cge door swung open and strong arms held me down.

"Prepare to a fight," a voice from behind me said, and then I felt a sharp sting in my right arm. And my small, small world went black.

* * *

I woke up to the sound of growling and a dark room that barely had enough lights to see. _Great. Just great, _I thought. Knowing the Eraser had to be in the room, I took a stance to balance myself. In the corner of my eyes I saw a tall, hairy Eraser behind me. I heard him sniffing- he was smelling my fear, the fear that screamed in my eyes, wondering what I would do and if I was going to play in this game of torture. I turned slowly and stared into his eyes, the small hairs on the back of my neck standing up higher than ever.

After a couple of moments passed, a small buzzing sound rang out. The Eraser immediately ran at me, about to attack. I quickly ran lightly to a small corner. I knew in the back of my mind that I was cheating the game, but who really wants scars? The Eraser pulled up short and took a half step back, realizing I was no longer in front of him. A smile crawled up my face, but quickly vanished as he turned around, lifted his large ugly nose in the air, and breathed in deeply. I slid down the wall and pulled my legs up to my chest, biting my tongue. I knew I was visable, but the room was still dark, so being an Eraser, I was sure he would find me soon.

_I needed to get out of here, _I thought desperately as the Eraser stalked over to my corner. He passed me three times before he stopped, and his claws raked my seeable cheek. I got up slowly, my wings and back flat against the wall. I then ran past him. A total mistake. Though my body was a blur to his wolfish eyes and he couldn't run as fast as me, he watched me as I ran to the other side of the room. He cornered me again, but I realized that the wall I had run to held the exit door. And just my luck, the door was unfortunately locked shut. I tried jiggling it and pounding on it, but the door didn't budge at all.

Realizing I couldn't get through, I swiftly turned around and saw my personal attacker advancing towards me again. His mouth drooled on one side, his teeth snapped at me, and his claws looked like razor blades. I froze in place, scared to move, for if just one muscle twitched he'd kill me in a heartbeat.

Behind him the girl I had seen before suddenly appeared. Wasting no time, she literally attacked my attacker. _How could I have not seen her before?_ I had been running all over the room. The girl was efficient in her attack and obviously knew what she was doing. Quickly the Eraser lay passed out on the floor. The girl turned towards me, and before I could say anything she took my arm and burst through the previously locked door. _How did she do that?_

We ran to my room and I kicked the door open. I sprinted to my claimed bed and sat on it, breathing hard. When I looked up at the girl, she had her arm extended twards me and she said the strange word again. "Becky."

"Becky?" I asked.

She nodded her black-haired head and spoke again. "Yep, I'm Becky. I think you might know my dad, 'cause I know yours."

"You know my dad?" I asked in disbelief. I hardly knew him myself.

"Yep, my dad died last week. So if you don't know him, that's fine," Becky replied, her voice breaking slightly. She smiled and spoke again. "Oh, and we're gonna bust outta here soon. I don't know when, but soon. 'Kay?"

And with those words she faded into the shadows before my eyes. Immediatly, soon after, I jumped to my closet and grabbed a backpack that I had found in there in the morning. I hastily threw a few clothes in it and stashed my backpack under the a second later, Anne came through the door, her face clearly showing anger. As her eyes met mine, she covered her angry expression with a happy one.

"Hi, Mini. These people are going to add to your room a little something from me." She shone her plastic smile and gave the people behind her a wave. They nodded their stupid, obedient heads and went to work.

About thirty minutes later, a small screen had been installed into the wall. The screen popped out of the wall and Anne, holding a remote controller, pushed a button with her thumb and the screen came to life.

It showed seven people sitting at a large table, eating and talking happily. I quickly recognized my sister and Daddy.

My eyes scanned each person carefully. They landed on a tall, strawberry-blond boy. _Very something...,_ I thought in awe. And even after the screen had long since turned black again, the tall boy's form was still etched into my mind, something I could never, ever forget.


	4. Eraser Blood

**Happy Easter!! The day the Lord has been Raised from the dead!! YAY!!**

The people that had set up my TV for observing the flock left moments later. Once there was no sign of any other whitecoats in my room, Anne led me over to my bed. We sat; she turned to me and spoke in a chilling tone. "Have you heard of Experiment One? Known as Becky Black?" Anne asked me, her blue eyes piercing and cold. I shook my head, lying. If I told Anne that I knew about Becky, she might throw me back into a cage. Which is exactly where I didn't want to be. "Well, okay. I just wanted to warn you that she's a mass killer," Anne added nonchalantly. She gave a little smirk. What was she trying to do? Creep me out or something? Did she suspect that I had seen Becky?

I knew I'd only met Becky for a few seconds, but it felt like I had known her for a long time, as if we had a trust bond that was only going to increase. As if we were already friends somehow. And having my first friend seemed to be a good start, although this 'mass killer' thing was a little disconcerting. I did know for a fact that her clothing was exceedingly dark. Black jeans and a matching shirt. Her hair was midnight black as well, but those eyes of hers were not normal. Instead of a basic blue or brown, Becky's eyes were lavender. They looked like they held a secret of some sort. But more or less she looked like a regular girl, except for the jet-black wings that extruded from her back. But that was normal to me. _Becky didn't look like a mass killer to me. But what if Anne is right?_ Lost in my thoughts, it took me a second to realize that Anne was waving a hand in front of my face.

"Are you alright?" Anne asked, her expression clearly showing that she was making sure that I wasn't completely insane. I stared at her pale forehead for a moment before I realized that she was waiting for an answer.

"Oh, yeah I'm fine," I lied easily, keeping my voice even. "I just can't believe that this Becky Black person is a mass killer." That was the truth, at least. I could feel my stomach toss and turn inside of me, making me feel nauseous. I was glad I was sitting down. I really was scared of Becky. Would she turn on me? I quickly pushed the thought out of my head, not wanting to worry about something like that.

Anne gave a soft laugh and spoke. "Becky Black was a mistake. Her father...created her with his crazy imagination. He thought that having a daughter that killed on impulse would be a good tool to help take over the world." Her eyes flickered to something behind me and quickly returned to my face. "Then your dad created you and your sister. Experiment Five took out Becky each time they fought, proving the two of you to be more powerful than Becky herself." She suddenly stood, spun on her heel, and snapped her fingers. Two hulking Erasers came through my bedroom door and were at her side in a second. She waved her hand and the Erasers each took hold of one of my arms and dragged me off the plush bed. With Anne in the lead, they led me down the hall to my doom. How exciting. As they dragged me along I realized that I hadn't gotten away with escaping from my battle with the Eraser. Our fight wasn't finished yet.

I had a sinking feeling that they were taking me to my death. With every step they took, I tried to struggle against their bulking arms. But I should have known better: it was pointless. Their muscles were much more defined than my thin arms. More skin and bones than sheer muscle for me.

We reached a metal door. Anne gave me one last look and offered too words. "Prove yourself."

One Eraser opened the door and the other threw me in. They slammed the door shut as I fell and I heard the click of the lock. I jumped up and started to stretch my wings, feeling the power that they held. I had never flown before, but that was one thing that was about to change, soon. But where was the Eraser? Blinking in the dark, my eyes scanned the small room and suddenly Becky walked forward out of the shadows.

That's when the realization hit me- we were meant to fight each other. I honestly had nothing against her that made me want to hurt her. Except for the small, teeny detail that she was a killer. "Now I understand why Anne told me about her," I murmured as I looked into Becky's cold, unsmiling eyes.

Becky pulled out two small knives from the back of her black jeans and within seconds the two knives were flying towards me. Like a spinning death.

When you're about to die, instincts tell you to duck and cover. Possibly running around like a maniac may help too. I ducked, my arms over my head, and the knives soared past me, burying themselves into the wall behind me. Becky stomped over to grab them out of it, not bothering to watch her back. She then proceeded to throw the twin knives at me again. Reflexes helped me out and I dropped to the ground once more. I heard the whistling of metal as the knives flew over me, as if they had wings of their own. A few yards off, I heard the clatter of metal and linoleum clashing together as the knives hit the wall and fell, and I stood shakily, preparing myself for an oncoming fight that I was still unsure of.

Hadn't Becky wanted to help me? Now she was against me in a flash. Despite not wanting to hurt her, I got into a fighting stance. If only one of us was to come out alive, I wanted it to be me.

Becky dropped into the shadows and suddenly I lost sight of her. _Where did she go?_ A moment later, I felt cold metal against my neck. It was Becky, standing behind me with a knife to my throat.

"Listen Mini, I'm saying this only once," she whispered harshly into my ear, nearly biting it. I nodded my head quickly and she continued. "We are getting out of here. They will put will you in a cage again if you don't do this right." She lowered her voice another notch. "I'm letting this knife slip out of my hand, and when I do, catch it and throw it at that wall over there." She cocked her head to the left, where a one-way mirror stood, as if waiting for a knife to penetrate it.

I nodded my head, relief flooding through me- Becky was on my side! - and Becky immediately dropped the knife from my throat. It fell in front of me and I snatched it up, throwing the sharp blade through the mirror. It wasn't a beautiful throw like Becky's- I didn't have much experience with knives- but it did the trick. The sound of shattering glass nearly killed my eardrums. Snarls of Erasers suddenly filled the small room, and I watched Becky's dark form dart across the room, her last knife at hand. As the sound of Erasers grew louder, I backed into a wall. At least I thought it was a wall, until I turned my head slowly to see the fur of an Eraser behind me, ready to kill me. He brought his hand up, his claws preparing to slash my face away. But I was too fast for him- I was already running for my life.

Another came towards me with a gun in hand, ready to shoot my brains out. As he aimed his gun at me, adrenaline swept through me. It seemed too late though; I was going to get shot at. Every young girl's dream. As he pulled the trigger, I was reminded of when Dad used to teach me to do handsprings. I quickly performed one, backwards, but the bullet grazed my left arm, sending pain signals to my brain. My arm wobbled and I lost my balance, falling to the ground. The Eraser walked over to me, anticipation on his face as he cocked the gun once more. Suddenly a knife went through his neck. Eraser blood squirted on the back of my shirt as the Eraser crumpled to the ground with a look of horror upon his own face instead of mine. Behind him stood Becky, holding the bloody knife. I gave her a small smile of thanks.

"Ick," I muttered as Becky came over to me from behind the dead Eraser, bloody and smiling.

"Well, that was fun," Becky replied cheerfully. She had saved my life again; the second time in one day. She replaced her last knife into the sleeve of her shirt smoothly. Like before, Becky grabbed my arm and pulled me up, leading me to the exit. We hurried back to my room. I clutched my wound, hoping it would heal soon. As we left the battle room I took a quick glance around. Five Erasers were lying on the cold ground, dead.

When we arrived at my steel door, Becky opened it. Waiting for us was a lady in a white coat that I didn't recognize. Becky let go of my good arm, pulled a small gun from her boot, and calmly shot the woman in the head, leaving a perfect read dot in the middle of her forehead. Becky blew away at the smoke that had pooled at the small entrance of the gun just as calmly as she had shot her victim.

"That's creepy," I said in shock as I watched the woman's lifeless body crumple to the floor.

"Yeah, you get used to it after a while," she said with a light shrug of her slight shoulders. I took a small side step away from her, avoiding her gaze. Rolling her eyes, Becky got my stashed pack and a black pack of her own from under the bed that I had only slept in once.


	5. Escape Artist

**I am on a two week spring Break!! :3 Also, this story is based before and is the first book on Mini's time/area. **

**Disclaimer: Original MR characters!  
Claimer: I own Minimum Ride, Becky and Todd and their story and this plot. I think unless JP decides to steal Mini from me... then I will cry.**

I swung my backpack over my shoulder as Becky hopped over the body of the woman. The alarm had surprisingly not gone off yet. I followed Becky out of the room and we hurried down the hall, looking for an exit.

After a few turns of corners away from my ex-bedroom we ran into another white coat. Becky swiftly pulled her little gun out of her pocket, cocked it, and pulled the trigger, just as the building's alarm went off. The hallway filled with red flashing lights and a matching annoying noise blared so loudly that it must have been going off throughout the whole building.

"Dammit," muttered Becky. She pulled the trigger again, and again, but nothing happened. No bullet. Then she froze, gazing at the alarmed whitecoat. You could practically see the light bulb pop up above her head. She whipped her arm back and hurled the gun at the whitecoat. It hit him in the head, and only as his head flew back and his knees gave out from under him did I see that he had pulled out a tazor. The whitecoat's torso fell forward, causing him to do a face plant into the hard tile floor. A stream of blood trickled from his white lab coat.

I ran forward with Becky, trying not to look too closely at the body as I hopped over it. "So what happened?" I asked.

"I used up all my bullets yesterday; target practice." She grinned and I suppressed a shiver.

We continued down the halls, nearly running over surprised white coats and looking over our backs for Erasers. Normal day-to-day stuff that I should be getting used to.

We reached a door that read: **'**_**Emergency Exit Only!'**_I glanced at Becky's impassive face. She nodded and then ran at the door. It began to creak open slowly- too slowly for us to wait. Becky slipped through the tiny crack between the wall and the door. I copied her exact movements, slipping through the now slightly larger crack. But halfway through my injured left arm was suddenly pulled by something on the other side of the door.

"_Becky_!" I shrieked, thinking it was an Eraser or some white coat eager to test my blood.

"Shut up, it's just me," Becky said, annoyed. "Besides, the door was going to cut you in half if you didn't move any faster anyways." With that, we took off running again down another narrow hallway. The lights were still blaring red every two seconds, lighting the area.

A large door rudely interrupted our escape. We had hit a dead end with the door in front of us and white coats in the hallways behind. The door was sealed shut with no handle, only a keypad glaring at us on the left wall.

"Do you know any passwords?" Becky asked, her cold eyes piercing into me.

"No?"

"Idiot."

"I heard that."

Becky rolled her eyes and pulled out a knife from it's hidden spot- up her sleeve. She glanced between the knife and the keypad. A slight smile crept across her face, and then she lunged forward, stabbing the keypad multiple times. When she stopped, the keypad started sparking and its spastics made the metal door slide to the right, allowing access into the room.

The room's walls were lined with weapons of every kind. Becky ran over to a gun that looked like her previous one. She grabbed it off the wall, ran over to a drawer, pulled out a box of ammo and stuffed it into her backpack. I didn't want to take anything myself; it wasn't necessary for me to play with knives like some ninja. Even so, I hesitantly picked up a knife and stared at it; maybe Becky would like it.

It was thin, hardly seeming to be even a centimeter thick, its handle deep black and sporting a strange design. I ran my thumb experimentally along the edge of the sharp blade and a thin line of blood followed. I hissed in a breath at the pain.

Behind me Becky whistled, staring at the knife. "That's a nice one." She snatched the blade out of my hand and tucked it safely into the back of her boot.

"Yeah, thought you'd like it, or something," I said as I turned back to the walls.

Becky looked stunned for second, realizing that _I _was helping her out. Her lips turned upward in her own slightly scary version of a smile.

"Let's get out of here, Mini," Becky muttered under her breath, turning away from me. I swiftly followed her, taking one last glance at the weapons room.

We moved quickly, striding down a hallway that was still glowing red from the alarm, which was still blaring. At the end of the hallway I could see a single door, possibly the final barrier between us and escape. I hurried towards it, only to realize that Becky wasn't behind me. I turned around. She was looking through a window of a door halfway down the hall, placing her hands on the glass to get a better view of what was inside. I jogged towards her, curious to see what she was staring at.

One boy, around our age, stood there, his ankles and wrists shackled to the wall. He seemed to be out of it, like he was daydreaming. He had shaggy brown hair with bright emerald green eyes. He was a bit taller than Becky. Nothing to terribly horrible. Becky turned the door's handle forcefully, and I heard a crack- she had broken the lock.

She pushed open the door and quickly grabbed a knife from her pocket. She approached the boy and began to cut at the chain attaching his left wrist to the wall. I watched in shock as the knife began to cut _through _the metal.

"How are you-" I began.

"This knife can cut through almost anything," she announced proudly, just as the knife freed the boy's left arm, the chain falling to the floor. He was left with the cuff and a small amount of chain hanging from his wrist.

"Why are you doing this?" asked the boy, watching as Becky attacked the next chain.

"We're helping you escape," she replied. His other arm was free.

A few moments later we were racing out of the room, headed for the door at the end of the hall.

"I'm Todd, by the way," the boy called as we ran, tawny, semi limp wings, flailing behind him. What remained of his shackles clanked noisily as he sprinted.

"Mini," I responded. I glanced at Becky, but she was completely focused on the door, which we had almost reached. "And Becky," I added for her.

We burst through the exit at top speed. Sunlight beamed down on me as I kept running. Who knew that freedom was so... bright? I was no longer worrying about what was behind me, only what was in front of me- which happened to be a large hill. I approached it at maximum speed, racing upwards, and then back down the other side. I sprinted forward, not thinking about anything but getting as far away from the School as possible.

Suddenly I pulled to a stop. Where were the others? I groaned and did a complete U-turn, running back up the hill. Running back towards the pit of death.

At the top of the hill, mere minutes from the School, stood Todd holding Becky in a death grip. His thumb was pressed down on her throat. Her own hands were balled up into fists of fury that she pounded against Todd. Her eyes were wide with fear and determination to live. She looked livid because of what was happening, because she was physically weaker than him.

I held back- it wasn't my fight. I stood there, watching, slightly alarmed. Becky managed to kick Todd in the chin, and his reflexes took over, causing him to let go of her neck, leaving red circles behind where his fingers had gripped her. My friend took a few gasping breaths before she spoke in a quiet, chilling voice.

"I freed you for a purpose, idiot."

Todd took a deep breath as well and spoke with a shockingly calm tone, "I thought you were someone else."

"Then who do you think I am?" Becky half whispered to Todd, who stood there, not knowing what to do next. From the School, we heard howling of Erasers. I turned and saw a pack of Erasers heading towards us. From up on the hill they looked like black and gray dust from an old western movie. Staring at the approaching danger, I realized that my nightmare was coming true. I really was running from Erasers. Hopefully the rest wouldn't happen- at least my dream had taken place at night, and in high altitude. I swallowed hard, hoping that my nightmare would not become my future.

We raced back down the hill, Todd slightly behind Becky and I. I spread my wings and flapped them, once up, once down. The flapping began to be a rhythmic instinct, as if I was a real bird for a small piece of time. I angled my body so that I wasn't just moving up, but going forward too. A smile took place on my lips. Turning my head, I saw Becky and Todd in the air beside me, oddly not fighting but smiling, too. We were _flying_.

The Erasers looked like furious ants, running around trying to get food, angry that their food had flown off, safe and away. So very far away.

* * *

When you travel by instinct you really don't care what others think as long as you live another day. Breathe another breath. With every exhausted flap the three of us took, common sense told us to land. But instincts told us to not stop upon landing, so we kept moving, by foot. Eventually, we made it to what looked like a forest, a bunch of trees and dirt, which was kind of soft and muddy. A so-so terrain.

"Maybe we're sleeping in someones backyard," Becky suggested as she took her backpack off and dropped it on an overgrown root. She walked the perimeter, checking for anything waiting to jump out at us. "All clear," she stated and walked back to Todd and me.

Later on, probably around one in the morning, I felt exhausted, but sleep seemed out of the question. Thoughts raced through my mind, ultimately creating a big headache. I wanted to be with my dad, and the girl that looked like me, my actual sister, Experiment Five. Anne had said that they were in Colorado, so that gave me a clue of where to start searching.

I sat up decidedly.

"Tomorrow guys, we are heading to Colorado," I announced in a small voice. Todd and Becky, who lay nearby, gave me confused stares. "But there's a problem; I have no idea how to get there. 'Sept by instinct," I added with little enthusiasm. Neither of my fellow escapees responded, and I sighed, lying back down.

A few moments later my backpack, which was currently acting as a pillow, was pulled from underneath my head.

"Give it back," I mumbled uselessly, exhausted watching as Becky rummaged through my backpack. She pulled something thin and white out of it.

"Stop whining," she said, tossing my pack back to me. As I put my backpack back under my head, Becky held a white paper in front of my face.

"Guess what it is," she teased me. I raised my right eyebrow and snatched the paper away from Becky.

"Got it."


	6. Raiding Walmart

**_PEOPLE!! this story is like pre. book 1 for Max, because their ten. So no IggyXMini, yet. But their will be. Promise._**

**Ahem. I own Mini, Becky, and Todd **

**I do not own (even though I can wish and dream) the rest of the flock...**

**Remember: R&R!**

I looked at the paper I had stole from Becky's grasp, and basically it looked like a map, lots of lines criss-crossing and such. Blue and red showing the roads and maybe rivers. I wasn't to sure, but I was glad we had some directional advice. "How did you get this?" I asked her, bewildered. Becky shrugged her thin shoulders then rolled her eyes like getting something like this would be no problem.

" Colorado is where your family is. Well, that's what Anne said, so I got a map from the School. They like to keep tabs on everything and everyone, so I took one. They don't need fifty- one." She gave me a half smile and took the map away from me, pointing to a small place on a map that read 'Rocky Mountains'. " We need to go here and here, rob a store and maybe a bank..." She said thoughtfully. She went back to her spot where she was laying down at and closed her purple eyes with the map clenched in her hands.

" Why?" I asked confused, about the same time Todd got all excited about us being criminals. It was bad enough Becky was.. a murderer. We didn't need to be theves and murders at the samt time. It was just bad enough with Becky being all physco on killing the Erasers without a worry.

" Because we need the supplies. Like food, water. Stuff like that." Becky explained slowly. " Alright, guys get some sleep, we have a job to do tomorrow." She finalized softly. I heard rustling across from me. With that, I rolled over to my side, facing the outer circle of the camp, closed my eyes and dreamed of fluffy white bunnies dominating a place called Europe.

Then next morning we woke up to the sun glaring down at us with his all mighty brightness. I wasn't to sure about the other two, but I felt both mentally and physically drained. You know, brain dead, not thinking on your feet. Yesterday we had flown until dark, now we were discussing how to get in the store without getting caught, at all. And I prayed that we could get in and out in less than an hour. But it seemed so unlikely because none of us had never been in a store before. By the time we were done talking, Becky looked up at the sky, through the tree branches and spoke.

" Its about noon, a good time for three ten year old thieves." She said lightly, shoving the map into her back pack, she then stood up, all high and mighty.

Todd nodded his head, snapped out a pair of tawny wings and flew up into the sky awkwardly. Between Todd and I, we both have similar things in common, yesterday was our first time we both flew and our wings were similiar in color. Becky had jerked her head to the sky then to me, smiling, seeming so less creepy, and actually, carefree. She then stretched her own purple black wings that sprouted from her back and took to the skies after a running start. As for myself, I jumped and spread out my own white, brown speckled wings, my backpack in my left hand.

We flew silently for some time, the three of us did. With two friends by my side, or more less, ahead of me while I took my sweet time flapping. I closed my eyes as I breathed in the sweet fresh air that was around us. Making me feel as If I were part of the atmosphere. I flew up to Todd a short while later, feeling anti-social, we then kept up on a constant chatter about him being our distraction while Becky and I take the things we needed. Becky just kept to herself the whole time, not bothering to speak with her head facing toward the ground, searching for a store big enough for us to raid. About ten to fifteen minutes later our dark friend looked up smiling. She pointed to the ground, her eyes lighting up in excitement.

We flew in a circle, hoping that this strategy in flying will help us get closer to the ground to land, and it worked. Surprising. We landed on the roof of the store, feeling completely ninja, that it was nearly out of our league to do so. After shaking our legs to get the circulation going once more, we then fixated our jackets over our bulging wings from a long fight. I looked down over the roof, frowning.

" How are we supposed to get down?" I asked, confused. Becky sighed as she sprung of the roof, face first. My jaw slammed into the ground in shock, no, completely shocked from my friends' suicide attempt. But instead of smashing her face into the asphalt, she simply landed on her feet like a cat with experience. " Did you see that?" I asked Todd with wide eyes. He simply nodded in amazement.

"C'mon, it shouldn't be too hard," Todd murmured before jumping off the roof, leaving me behind. Todd landed perfectly on the ball of his heels. Heart pounding, I jumped off as well. It felt like flying, minus the use of wings. And when the ground seemed to come closer, I pulled my torso to my legs, hoping for the best.

I landed on the ground, my knees screaming in agony as I stood up. " Congrats. You just jumped off a building." Becky said clapping her hands in mock humor. I bit my lip, looking down at the black asphalt wishing she'd shut up. It wasn't like I didn't wimp out or anything. Becky then shrugged her shoulders, her trademark "whatever" with no words said. She turned on her heels and booked for the door to the building. Todd and I followed suit.

Meeting Becky in the main lobby was exactly the opposite of what I was anticipating for. She was showing a side of her character that seemed oddly not her. Becky was bouncing on the balls of her feet giving herself attention that was not needed. The security guy was trying to calm her down, and not doing so good in my opinion. Todd and I ran up to them and we told the Security Guy that our mom was in the car with our seven little sisters and to get the last thing's for our vacation trip, and our friend, Rochelle (or famously known as Becky) had to come with us. Life is a vacation trip, right? Was ours?

" Okay you guys can go, your mom must be really worried about you guys." The Security Dude said as we walked to the restroom, that was part of our plan, I think. Becky and I silently went to the ladies restroom, which was empty, and waited for Todd to throw in a green leaf that he picked off a tree back at the place we slept at last night.

Becky had the skill to fade into darkness, by will. So when we go into public places, I'm going to have to remind her that it would be hard to fade. Florescent lights take away about all the shadows. Watching Becky trying to fade into the shadows was pretty darn funny, she even crawled under the open sinks, just to fade. After completing our task, a green leaf was thrown against the wall, almost silent to our ears.

" I'll meet you in the food area," I tell Becky in a rush before I zip past her and everybody else to the awaiting food. A few moments later, I saw a black package being removed off a shelf, with no owner. I assumed that was my friend and I grabbed a small package of food of my own, jamming it into my backpack in the process.

In the near distance I was able to hear Todd's distracting voice," But sir, believe me, I saw it." And I could practically see the guard shake his head no. How right I was, with out seeing the action take place.

Becky had been putting random packages into her backpack, not really noticing what she was going to eat until later. When Becky and I packed our backpacks with the packaged food goods, We were able to hear Todd's obnoxious voice in the near distance one again.

" Look, sir, didn't you see that ... that.. thing?" Todd's voice stuttered, yet somehow it still kept the Security Guard distracted.

" Look kid, I know this place front to back, there is nothing out of the ordinary in this store." Replied the annoyed gaurd. I rolled my eyes out of this guys statement. He must mean _normal_ people with their _normal_ non-winged backs.

" But sir, I saw a..a... Unicorn! It's in the freezer...!" Todd shouted, nearly screaming. Oh yeah, now that was believable, Moron. I thought shaking my head in disgust.

" Kid, How many times do I have to tell you? There is nothing odd about this store, except you." the Guard growled ferociously. Ouch. " I'm going to escort you to the exit. This way please." The Guard continued in his monotone voice.

" Fifteen hundred thousand times." Todd said cheerfully as he grunted roughly. probably from being dragged to the exit. I stifled a giggle from his idiocy. I turned to Becky with a light smile.

" I guess we have to go save Todd." I told her with the shake of my head. Nodding her head she started to run, I naturally followed her. Once we saw Todd, captured from the Guard that was 'escorting' him to the exit. But it actually was ' forcing an annoying ten year old out of the store'. I ran up to the Guard and karate chopped his hand to release it from his grip on Todd that was slowly turning purple. Becky then kicked the man in the back of his knee. He crumpled to the floor, nearly whimpering. Todd rubbed his abused arm as I swung him around so that he could get his own stuff for the road. The three of us ran to the guys section not looking over our shoulders. Why would we?

Todd started to peel clothing items of the racks, hangers included. Honestly, I didn't even think that he was actually looking at them. Some shirts seemed to big while others too small. Becky went over to his small pile of clothes and started to hang some of the smaller ones up.

"The bigger the shirt the better. Until it falls off the shoulders, then its way to big." Becky said, shaking her head in disgust as she hung up a red shirt up with odd prints.

" Mini, get me a backpack, blue." Todd ordered me as I sat on the ground, resting my eyes. I opened them a moment later and glared up at him as he stood there with a half-a-million pieces of clothing in his thin arms. I sighed as I stood up, mostly because I didn't want to.

" Sure." I mumbled as I turned on my heel to where the backpacks where at. I grabbed one off its rack, a blue one for Todd, just as he asked for. I weaved my way back through the crowded store to where my friends sat, rolling up items of clothing then putting them to the side for another. I tossed Todd his backpack while he wasn't looking, and just when I thought it was going to hit his face, he caught it out of the air. I frowned in distaste.

" Thank-you." He murmured as he opened it up to shove his new clothes into it.

" Whatever." I muttered. " I'm going to go find something edible, be back in a sec." Becky had offered to help me, and I accepted the offer with delight. Soon we were bringing back sub sandwiches to Todd where his little pile of clothes had diminished. Becky tossed him one of the six sandwiches to Todd, who once again caught the item before it either rearranged his face, or fell to the ground. He in general, had pretty decent reflexes. We sat there in a circle our backpacks loaded with food and clothes. Becky suggested about grabbing water bottles on the way out. Even though I didn't know what a water bottle was, I agreed as I sunk my teeth into my sandwich. Enjoying the taste of mayo, lettuce, and meat slide down my throat swiftly. It was definitely good in the neighborhood.

Even though I couldn't wait to be back in the air, I wanted to savor our first rare happy moment.

Random Siggie: Walking backwards takes to much brain power!


	7. Never To Late

**I think you guys get it when I don't own the original MR characters, everybody else is mine though. Even the ideas are mine as well. Thanks to Blawwkmw for being the best beta. Kudos to readers, you guys rock like a ruler;].**

* * *

After attempting to clean our mess, we decided as a group that it was our time to hit the road. We walked calmly to the exit, passing people who gave us odd stares and raised eyebrows. Then again, I don't blame them. Just as we were about to leave the store for sure, Security Dude blocked our exit by standing in front of the door. His arms crossed against his chest, and his face was stiff like stone. The only exit that we knew of was blocked. _How Lovely_. I thought in disgust.

"You kids are no longer permitted to leave the boundaries." Security Dude said in a harsh tone, glaring at us as if we committed a crime, which we did. The three of us stopped abruptly, trying to figure a way out without hurting anybody.

"But our mom needs us, right now!" Becky told the guy in an angry voice stomping her foot in the process. Our story had finally turned into a lie in the guards eyes. The guard was not paying attention to her dramatic effect. Instead he merely rolled his eyes, and spoke into a walkie talkie about children are shop-lifting. I crossed my arms over my chest and from the corner of my eye; I saw Becky slid her hand down the back of her own leg until her fingers curled around a strong handle that belonged to one of her many few blades. Eyes wide and in shock, Becky had noticed my expression and left her weapon where it belonged. I sighed with relief and thought; A_t least we won't get in too much trouble, at least_.

"It doesn't matter what your mom needs, it's the fact that you three deliberately stole from our store," He told us angrily, red in the face, and I bet five dollars he would pop a vein in the neck sometime in the near future. But by the looks of things, his forehead was turning a nasty red color.

"You should take a calming pill. They really help when you go delusional..." Becky told the guy shaking her head with dark black hair following the movement of it.

"What?" Todd asked in perfect confusion; he obviously wasn't paying attention. Probably off in space or something.

"We didn't do anything wrong... That I know of." I stated, and then gave a sly smile. Part of the plan is to confuse the enemy, and confusing Security Dude was easier than flying the first time, and that was only by instinct. I looked around the area, trying to devise a plan that wouldn't get anybody injured too badly. No game no pain.

When I noticed Todd's shifting eyes I followed his gaze. Noticing what he was looking at, I grinned. Across the store was another exit, fairly large with two sliding doors. It was just waiting for us to bust out of here. The three of us started to walk sideways, trying to get our enemy out of our raptor sight. When Becky noticed our small steps, she faded into my shadow, and went completely invisible. A moment of cold air went pass me, and I realized that it must have been Becky, running for the exit. Todd wasn't to lucky when it came down to leaving the building, he had to dodge carts and little kids while running towards the exit with Security Dude meters behind him. I just darted pass everything and everybody, and easy task that I felt like only I could complete.

And faster than I expected the three of us ran out of that store in what felt like a heartbeat, more or less.

We were _about _to fly in the air until a black SUV drove by us. Wings slightly out, Becky held her still crouched position to spring off. Although the windows were blacked out, I could feel somebody looking down at us, monitoring our movement. And that somebody was most likely from the School. The SUV took a left turn and parked in parking place neatly. I looked at Becky, and gave her all my stuff to hold. I was standing on an odd wide red pole that was taller than me. I had jumped on top of it to get some extra air, but when the SUV came past us, I nearly fell off. But once I handed my newly stolen back pack to my friend, I sprung off lightly, landing on my feet.

"Be back in a sec." I told them quickly before I ran swiftly to the SUV, my form unrecognized. I had jumped up to the roof of the vehicle quietly, not wanting them to see me. I guess being a mutant freak had its pros, like being able to jump heights without breaking a sweat. But it also had its cons. Such as hiding from the people who kept you in a dog crate, which as you know, is quite thrilling. I flattened myself against the roof just in case if the people happened to be tall, they wouldn't be able to see my somewhat tall-ish skinny form.

A guy came out of the driver's seat swinging his keys on his index finger saying, "We need to get those three kids, if we don't Black will have our heads on a stake, the second we get back to School."

A second man agreed from the passenger side by saying," We don't even need to get all three, just his daughter at the least."

As the driver put his keys into his back pocket he spoke," Did you see them?" pointing to where Becky and Todd stood, Looking around the place, wondering where the heck I was at. I met their gaze, quickly and thank God, they hid behind a bunch of cars when they saw my eyes from the top of the SUV.

"Uh, no?" The other guy said obviously confused. I jumped off the SUV lightly, not making a sound, except the sound of rocks shaking, which is not stoppable. I followed the men closely until I was able to grab the key out of his pocket. They made a small jingle sound when they were being pulled out of the pocket. When the guy turned around I was already running back to my friends, a breeze in the wind. The three of us watch the two guys walk into the store from the bed of a truck two rows from the guys.

"I know them," Becky murmured quietly her face scared beyond belief. "They use to take care of me. You know, like my Personals."

Todd nodded his head, understanding, "I had Personals, too. One was the Director and some guy with a funny accent." I blinked a couple times, trying to remember. Did I have Personals? There was no way I had Personals, new people came to my cage all the time.

"What about you Mini?" Becky asked, quietly. My response was a simple shrug; I was too scared to talk. "They aren't coming out again." Becky assured me.

"C'mon, I have keys." I said quietly as I stood up from my crouch. The three of us walked back to the SUV swiftly, not bothering to check if anybody was following us.

"I call dibs on the driver seat!" I called out as I unlocked the car, and sat in the seat, totally excited whatever was going to happen. I heard two car door slams and in hurry, so I put the key in the ignition, and turned it.

"Buckle up, it's gonna get bumpy." Todd mumbled, from the back seat in the middle.

"Okay..." I muttered, putting the car in reverse hitting a bunch of cars in the process.

"I hope they have insurance, because we don't." Becky stated in a matter- of- fact voice. I agreed silently.

I was already speeding through the lanes, running over anything that was in my path. By the time I got the car to the freeway, the damage I did to people's cars was pretty bad. After a while, the car and we were all over the lanes, sidewalk included.

"I can't see the sidewalk!" Becky shrieked looking through the window, her purple eyes wide. If it was the one thing that scared Becky, was me in the driver's seat. Otherwise, Becky being scared was as likely as Dinosaurs roaming the Earth once more.

"Just because you can't see the side walk doesn't always mean there is one... when I'm driving." I said, beads of sweat rolling down from y forehead. I flashed her smile as I pressed the brake pedal.

"Yeah, that makes me feel better." Becky said sarcastically with the roll of eyes.

About five hours later we were flying in the sky, exhausted from the day. When the car crashed, everything went downhill. It began with the smoke, then the cop cars trying to follow us while we were in the sky. After they gave up, helicopters chased us for a few minutes before we decided to split up. So, after flying in the air, zing zagging like a humming bird, I felt like I was going to end up passing out of the sky. And that would not end well, for me at the least.

"Okay, so the car didn't work out." I said tiredly, trying to stay up in the sky by flapping my wings in the normal rythmatic feeling.

"Yeah, because you didn't let me drive, you crashed into a light post!" Becky yelled at me, her pitch black wings working effortlessly through the night sky. Between the color of her wings and the sky, they kind of blended together. "Of all things, you ran into a light post."

"I got the keys and you didn't." I pointed out.

Todd closed his eyes and spoke with serene calmness, "How 'bout the two of you shut up, while I think of a plan?" He suggested. Becky and I mumbled a sure, and started to be quiet, until I asked where we happened to be at. "I'm thinking, Colorado, Did we get to that bank?" Todd answered.

"No more energy." I answered, yawning in the process.

He gave a silent "Oh, yeah."

I said, "Can we land, before I fall out of the sky." I asked, my eyelids closing in on me, my head feeling like fog was enclosing my brain. It's sleepy time.

"Yeah, let's call it a night." Becky agreed, then with cold hatred towards me, she said, "I don't feel like carrying Mini's motionless body around." I glared at her before I descended, in large circles.

I landed through the trees, and then picked some rocks up and placed them in a messy circle, something that I saw Todd do last night for our fire. After Todd and Becky flew down, I told them to get fire wood, feeling like Missy Bossy Boots. Once they got back, Todd took out a lighter and lit the wood, giving the area a warm glow. Becky handed me a box of cookies, asking," Cookie?" I eagerly accepted, so I took four and ate them eagerly.

"I'm pooped; see you in the morning," I yawned tiredly. They said good night to me as I fell into unconsciousness. I have had better dreams before, it just seemed like tonight was my off night for dreams that became my future.

_'Minimum go to these coordinates, I need you to go there.' A metallic voice said in my head, whispering the urgent phrase in my ears. Then a topographical map, danced across my eyelids. I saw mountain ranges fly past from underneath me. Trees were everywhere; cliffs seemed to just jump out of nowhere. Next, I saw Max's ten year old face, and the rest of the Flocks. Soon after, I saw daddy he was smiling and laughing... Without me in the perfect picture, maybe it was my absence that made it perfect... And I wasn't there to experience it myself. _

_'Minimum, if that's your name, you're sister you'll never be my sister.' Max's cold voice rang through my ears. I stared back at her, my ears ringing, hoping what she said was completely false. _

_'Minimum, You silly klutz, Watch your step.' A boy with pale blue eyes that I could swim in said, grinning at me mockingly. Was it a joke? I thought to myself after he picked me up from my fall. His hand felt cold to the touch, but his breath seemed warm on my face as I leaned in closer to him. _

When I woke up, I was heartbroken and hungry. I cried silently, letting the tears wash my face. I was confused if I were to be happy or sad, of just plain hopeless. Sniffing a couple times and rubbing my hands across my eyes, I got up from my spot and put the rocks on the dead fire. A bit later Todd and Becky woke up, and brushed themselves off from the. I saw Todd look at me and say, Minimum, you okay?" He asked, sympathy written across his face. I shook my head no, and he came over and gave me a big hug, then Becky came over and joined in. "I felt the moment." Becky simply said. I gave a short laugh, and hugged my friends harder.

We sat on a log, with me in the middle looking at a map. "Well, hypothetically, to the map, the highest pointing Colorado is the Rocky Mountains, but people can hike up those mountains, so I doubt that they would live there." Becky observed looking down at the map, and using her index finger to trail a line of the Rockies.

"So, will this one work?" Todd asked, using his middle finger to point out a cliff. It looked like it would work. "Can a house sit on top of a cliff?" I asked out loud.

"Well it depends; you'll have to have these long things to keep the house there." Becky answered me.

"Oh, okay, so I was thinking it could be like a cliff, but on a mountain." I guessed, staring at the map. "You know, that could work. Let's go then!" Todd said eagerly standing up and throwing his pack of his shoulder and snapped out his brown wings.

Becky stood up and folded the map and put it in a pocket in her pack, zipped it up, and threw that over her shoulders and snapped out her wings ready for flight. I stood up and grabbed my backpack and hugged it to my chest, as I snapped out my own wings and flew into the sky, dodging the trees along the way.

I looked down and saw them following my example, and soon we were together flying at the same time, and gliding every once in a while. The wind blew my hair behind me, whipping it in swirling circles as we flew higher. I closed my eyes, just simply enjoying the moment of being free for one whole day.

I started looking down at the ground, from way up here, everything looked so small. Like little ants. And as I stared, it seemed like a panting. Like the entire world was one big painting. Moments seemed to go by before Becky let out an ear splicing scream. I whipped my head around to see her, my eardrums ringing. She was holding onto her upper arm while her redden eyes held back tears and blood was oozing from her arm.

"What happened to you?" I asked her gently, as I turned around and flew towards her. Todd was at her side before I was.

Tears finally leaked through her eyes, " I-I don't know, I was flying and all of a sudden.... You guy, my arm, I think it's shot..." She pulled her good arm away from the injured one and she pinched the wound, making more blood come pouring out. Eventually a metal bullet slid out of her arm into her red stained hand.

"That is so gross." I moaned, covering my eyes with my hands. "You're going to die from blood loss." Becky looked at me like I was crazy while Todd held onto the bullet.

"Yeah, well its better than dying in the School, right?" Todd asked as I silently agreed and flew around us, in large circles, gliding lower yet keeping my altitude in check.

"I got it!" Todd yelled excitedly and somewhat randomly.

I flew up to him and asked, "What is it?" Becky was cradling her upper left arm with a raised eyebrow at my sudden question.

"We've, Becky, has been attacked, I think. It's a possibility... Right?" His eyes gave off a soft green color that was also wide and frustrated. I folded my arms across my skinny chest. I looked down, before it was too late.

From way up in the sky, I saw the grin of a hungry Eraser, wanting my flesh and blood. Todd followed my gaze, along with Becky, and then from one evil yellow grin, there were at least five evil, yellow grins of the Erasers. So I guess we have been found. But we are not that injured to land.

"Let's just keep on moving. Forget my sister for a while, we need to survive first." I said, swallowing my dam angry of tears. Becky nodded her head solemnly, while Todd took off in front of us. I finally decided to follow Becky loosely in the air after I glanced again, fear taking over most of my emotions. Hopefully the next time we happened to land, when ever that was, it would lead us to someplace that would eventually become our full and complete freedom.

But just because we escaped the School, it won't always mean we don't have to live our lives being threatened 24/7. Right? Wrong. Not even my dreams could protect me now.


	8. Hotel New York

I would like to thank my fans from the very beginning; from my very first attempt to my last final on Minimum Ride. The story is still continuing maybe a sequel sometime, maybe not. In Today's news... Its Mothers day! So if you are a mom on fan fiction, Happy Moms day to you!

**FOUR YEARS LATER**

**Becky PoV**

_It's so weird. How much I changed. _I thought looking at my reflection in the large New York hotel bathroom. My lips were plump and huge. My purple eyes had a somewhat dark tint to it. My deep black hair, even longer than before and my bangs hung over my eyes. _Where are those scissors any way?_ My skin turned to a tan. _Wait is that dirt? Maybe a shower should fix that. Maybe. _My fingers were long and skinny,I noted as I gripped the bathroom counter. I closed my eyes and stretched out my 13 and half foot pure black wings. They squished against the walls around me, woops. And my new founded power, to manipulate invisibility on others. Todd is like our personal, power tester. So when I realized I could have used my power, Todd was invisible for five hours on end. That poor guy, I almost feel sorry for him.

"Becky, Hurry Up!!" Mini screeched as she pounded down on the bathroom door. "I have to take a shower too, and go pee!"

"Well, suck it up Shortness!" I yelled right back at her through the door. "I'm taking a shower now!" I heard Mini stomp away with no comeback. Grinning in the process, I turned around and walked over to the hotel shower, turned the dial on warm. I stepped in once the water started to pour.

I soaked my long hair, and grabbed the shampoo. I soaped up my head and body. Then I took the wash cloth that sat on a shelf in the shower, and water gathered unto the fabric and put a huge clump of bright blue soap on it. I rubbed my wings to get the nasty bird grease off. "That's just nasty." I say to myself quietly as I looked at the once used to be washcloth, that is now yellow and sticky from my left wing. I washed off my right wing and tossed the old washcloth in the trashcan outside the shower stall. Rinsed my body down and lathered up my hair in the yellow conditioner. The scent is supposed to be vanilla, but it smells more like glue. How enticing. After I let that soak in, I washed out the soap and grabbed the towel that hung outside the shower stall. I wrapped my body in the towel, and another for my long hair.

I walked up to the fogged up mirror, and rubbed out a large circle so I could see my face. "Ew." I moaned, as I popped a new zit that the shower discovered on my chin. Then the pounding began.

"Are you even done yet?!" Mini shrieked through the door as she still pounded on the white washed door. I shook my head; Minimum was always the girlie-girl in our Flock. Always. From make-up, all the way down to the hot guy that is standing outside, ten stories away from us in our lovely hotel room.

"I just, I repeat, just got out! Let me get dressed first, _before _you get us thrown out of this place!" I shouted at her, my voice rising. I swear to our dear loving God in Heaven, I think I'm losing my voice all in one day.

I shook out my black wings to let the loose feathers fall to the floor. I threw down my body towel and put on my black clothes. Even my socks happened to be black. As I took off my towel, Mini's voice screamed again. Except this time, I t wasn't directed at me. Her stupid brain attacks. She claims that she can see the future, though it never happens. But she's just delusional, just me saying. Todd, he believes her. And everything what she says. Todd Is all over Mini, like an idiotic leach. I swear they are practically stuck to each like glue. Frankly, it's rather gross.

Fully dressed with hair pulled into a messy braid, I opened the door only to see Todd and Minimum in a _HUGE _make-out session. A thought occurred to me, "Hey Mini, here's a tip, Next time you decide to make out with your boyfriend, take a shower first, like you always wanted." I told her as I walked out the door to follow the hallway that led down to a few flights of stairs that eventually led to the Main- Lobby to get some food for me, myself, and I. There were so many people to feed in so little time.

I left the two love birds in shock as I shut the door behind me. I'm not jealous or anything, about them. It's just really... wrong to see my two best-friends making- out on a hotel bed. But I do agree with Mini, they are a cute couple when their faces aren't touching each others. I really do agree with her.

I took the stairs down to the lobby, totally aware of my surroundings. The main desk on the left, the Breakfast buffet on the right, off in its own little corner a small TV was playing the news with a bunch of soft looking sofas in the middle. Nothing harmless that would want to eat my throat for breakfast.

I walked over to the Breakfast Buffet and got myself a bowel, and poured a box of Fruit Loops in it. "I found it." I whispered to myself proudly, for I found the milk and the silver ware that was hidden from me. Reaching for another plate, a large pink box of donuts entered the room. I grabbed two donuts at random, putting one in my mouth as I filled a plastic glass with black coffee. I picked up my meal, and headed for the couch to watch TV. I t was something that normal people do every day, which only I only experienced every few weeks.

"In two days news, flying children have been spotted in Upper New York." The news lady said. A blurry black and white picture had shown six kids with wings, flying out of a restaurant ceiling. "Human or alien?" she asked, her eyes narrowing. "Are these children science escapes?"

_Oh Crap. _I thought. That was totally Max's Flock; Mini was jabbing about last night. Oh My God. They're here in New York, like us. I focused my conscious back to the TV before I missed anything to important. I shoved the rest of my first donut into my mouth, without too much force.

"Back to you Johnny."

"Thank- you Linda. Apparently, these kids flew out of a restaurant yesterday. The owner of the diner sates, and I quote, ' the tall girl, was rude, most likely some rabid rich girl. She dumped oil over one of my best waiters. And they ordered large amounts of food, per child. A little blond girl asked for a prime rib, which was on the adult menu! She was only six years old!' "

I snickered to myself. Rabid, yes. Rich? Hah, far from it. Man, people these days are so judgmental.

"Angel." I heard Mini's voice murmur. I turned my head and looked at Mini, her eyes were blank, but in total confusion. So I went back to my colorful cereal the last soggy donut and my cooling black coffee.

**Mini PoV (before she decided to pound on the bathroom door)**

Last night was most likely one of my best nights of my life. I helped kill three Erasers with Becky for once, even though I did little damage towards them. I got a Credit Card that has my name on it; it's in my backpack right now, sitting there and ready to be used. My dreams have been totally useful. I stole a new pair of shoes wickedly fast. Lastly, I got a pack of gum and a Starbucks that I drained in less than five minutes. With a large bonus, we got a hotel room. Yes, I was dancing with happiness by the time I entered the hotel room.

Todd and I, we are not exactly boyfriend and girlfriend. We just happen to talk together a lot and ... make out... and he encourages me with the smallest things. He thinks my dreams are real, unlike Becky. (She thinks I had lost my mind!) My dreams act like a fortune-teller; they help me see the future. Crazy as it sounds, it's true. They show me things that happen in the near future or something that will take awhile to occur. Sometimes the dreams don't even make sense. Last night's dream, it was showing me something about the news, and I was watching the TV somewhere. I mean seriously, sometimes it needs to come out and show me things that actually make sense, somewhat.

I woke up with the sun pouring down on me and in a cold sweat. The double bed once held Becky and I, since we are both girls we got one bed while the Prince got his own. Now it only held me and a bunch of pillows that we stole from Todd. Becky threw all the sheets on the floor because its summertime and its hot. But one thing was for sure, another nightmare, again with a brain attack.

I've been getting these migraines that feel like they are splitting my skull into two. And the causes for these occurrences are still unknown. I practically threw up a couple days ago. Becky held my hair as I heaved my stolen breakfast from a grocery store. That stupid Karma it was always there to bite me in the ass. And I get these mental pictures of Max and her Flock. Like for instance, where they are at, what they look like, and a bunch of other stuff. Like I got a topographical map in my brain a few days ago saying that Max's Flock was heading to New York, so here we are in New York.

I slowly got up, until my head fell back down on the pillow.

"Hey short stuff, Rise and Shine." Todd greeted me from the other end of my bed. I replied to him by sticking my tongue out and moaning no." Aw, Come on Mini, you can't sleep forever." You wanna bet? I thought to him, closing my eyes once more.

That's when my bladder whirred. My eyes snapped open as I picked myself off the bed. I jumped over Todd's bed and ran to the bathroom door that was near the front door. How classy. I jiggled the handle and started pounding on it, Impatience getting the better of me.

"Becky Hurry up!" I yelled, pounding the door with my fists, in the process. "I have to a shower too, and go pee!"

I heard Todd chuckle at me. "Oh, shut up." I said snidely at him, my face in disgust, eyes narrowed. You know, the whole nine yards.

"Well suck it up Shortness!" I heard Becky's cold voice yell back at me. "I'm taking a shower now!!" I stomped away from the door without leaving a comeback. It really wasn't worth it.

I sat on my bed with a groan of defeat. I crossed my skinny arms across my chest. And I narrowed my already narrowed eyes at Todd. He came and sat down by me. A couple weeks ago, he made my heart beat faster, my head little light headed, face turning a bit pink. My words seemed to stumble over themselves to get out of my mouth. But now none of it happens any more. I'm just me not having a spastic moment. My heart doesn't beat three times as fast, just normal. My face doesn't flush when he talks to me, or my stomach doesn't turn all fluttery. Just its normal self, sitting there to be awaken. Nothing special at all happens. He wrapped his long rope like arms around my shoulders, and whispered in my ear.

"You know, you look really cute when you're Mad." his lips brushed against my ear, making my body shudder in annoyance.

That's when my face almost flushed. I nodded my head not looking at him. Instead the Cream colored Wall was where my eyes were boring holes into. Soon, he would dazzle me with his perfect emerald green eyes. And his healing broken nose, from when Becky punched him multiple times yesterday because he provoked her into rage of anger. Which really wasn't to wise on his part. He kept making those sweet words, and eventually my face did flush. I looked at him just for half a second and his lips were already connected to mine.

Maybe it's the taste. Or maybe it's the feel, or is it the strength he has? Whatever it was it was the thing that made me go banana's for him. That's why I ' go out with him'. That's why I claim to Becky that we are the cutest couple alive. That's why everything in my life makes sense for me, Because of him. He tells me I'm perfect when we all know the truth. I was born an Air-head, I'm gonna die as an Air-head. No matter how soon my death may come.

I kissed him back and for once, I didn't enjoy it. But what the hell let him think I'm totally in love with him, because I'm not for once. I broke the kiss with my hands holding my head as I screamed in pain. "Stupid Brain attacks! _I hate karma_!"

Todd rubbed small circles on my back, where my wings connected with my spine. "It's okay." he murmured. But, my brain was thinking that nothing is okay anymore. Becky won't let me go pee... My head hurts... Standing up angrily, I pounded on the bathroom door once more.

"Are you even done yet?" I shrieked. Todd looked at me like I needed to be sent to the funny farm sometime soon this week.

"I just, I repeat, just got out! Let me get dressed first, _before _you get us thrown out of this place!" Becky yelled at me. Meanie poopoo head.

I walked back over to my bed and laid down on it just as I was hit for round two. Todd made me sit up, so I agreed pitifully. He kissed me again. When will he ever stop? I would have loved to jump back and say ' no way Jose' but my head hurt like living hell. So I kissed him back.

His hand met my jaw, as I leaned in for faking the kiss. His tongue asked to get in, but I teeth said no. I really don't want a guy's slimy tongue in my mouth, thank you.

I forgot that Becky was in the bathroom. And when she saw us she said, " Hey Mini, here's a tip, Next time you decide to make out with your boyfriend, take a shower first, Like you always wanted." as she walked out the door of our room. Hopefully she'll bring non-stolen breakfast.

I dropped the kiss in an instant. Todd eyes met mine, but I shook them away from me. I had to take a shower, it was a priority. I quickly grabbed my pink back pack and walked in the bathroom. I took a ten minute shower, feeling the urge to hurry up. Still in the shower with the warm water pouring down, I brushed my teeth. When I stood in front of the shower curtain I saw my face in the mirror, small, but older looking. I looked older than I did a couple of months ago, older than I did five years ago.

I brushed my light brown hair and pulled it into a pony tail. I slipped my pink angel hat on my head and pulled the base of my pony tail through the hole in the back of my hat. My hair dried into their crazy curls again. I got myself dressed in light blue jeans that fit from my low hips to the soles of my feet. My favorite light blue shirt was slipped on over my underwear. Moments later, my hiking boots were on my feet and I found myself walking out the door, ignoring Todd. When I got downstairs the first thing I saw was the breakfast bar, not really caring about anything else. So I grabbed myself a plate and filled it with strawberries and other yummy fruit with a couple donuts and orange juice. I saw Becky's straight black hair staring at the TV. I slowly made my way to the other side of Becky and watched the TV guy saying that a little blond girl ordered a prime rib.

"Angel." I whispered, recognizing what was going on without even needing to know the full story. I dreamt it last night.


	9. Kick and Run

**Hey you guys, I would like to just thank all my readers and reviewers. So thank-you!! You guys are amazing. Here's the next chapter.**

**Becky POV**

Mini stood there her eyes blank as she put some fruit in her mouth and started to chew. She sat next to me when a group of tall, muscular guys with thick curly hair came through the hotels front door making a lot of noise. One of the tall guys looked at me and kept staring at me. Eventually he told some of his friends and nodded his head towards me. Another guy took out file and opens it up, stares at it for a while and talk to the receptionist. Crap. Mini was able to get a single bite of the donut before I grabbed her arm.

I led Mini and myself up the stairs two at a time, not bothering to stop. Oh crap, oh crap. That idiot, I cursed in my head. Mini tripped on a stair half awake. Moron. I grabbed her forearm again and I pounded down on the stairs racing for our life. Those Eraser freaks we're here, and somehow, some way they found us. I got to our door which was thankfully unlocked. I would have to break into it if it was locked.

"Todd, pack up its time to go!" I shouted at him, and tossed Mini's skinny butt on the bed. She got up and grabbed her pink pack from where she had left it. I grabbed my backpack from the bathroom and jumped over the two beds that we had slept in the previous night. From a couple floors away I heard howls from the Erasers. Three minutes... give or take.

"Why are we leaving so fast?" Todd asked as he grabbed his stolen wallet with stolen money inside it. I explained to him what was going on down stairs in a hurry. My words were caught up into a blur, but he understood what I was trying to say. His eyes widened as he grabbed his junk. I hate to admit, but the three of us had done so many of the same crimes that the world cannot see us doing.

"Closest body, closest body..." I muttered to myself, in slight shock. My eyes landed on Mini's small form. She froze and turned around to grab something black off the night table near the bed we slept in the night before.

"Hang on!" Mini yelled as she grabbed my knife pack. Oh yeah... " Here, thought you might need this." she said jumping out the window and snapping out her growing twelve and a half foot long pale, brown, speckled wings. She stayed up that and flew up into the sky. Perfect... I glanced at my stolen watch... two minutes...

"Todd Lets go, go, and go!" I shouted. I saw him slip on his other boot and jump out the window, boots untied. Wings and all he flew up to catch up to Minimum. Thirty seconds... I shrugged on my pack, strapped on my knife pack over my shin, ran and dived out the narrow window. And frankly, it was pretty funny to see the people's faces when we shot out of the hotel window. They must have thought I was committing suicide for snap reaction of my body free falling from the sky.

I closed my eyes, I had fifty feet to spare... I opened my eyes to see the ground come closer and to hear Erasers shoot their guns at me. People stared at me in shock; their human brains must be scrambling up a reason why I literally jumped out of a window that would kill me. I snapped out my wings and flapped hard. I passed the Eraser's has a bullet grazed a chunk of my hair that was not pulled back into a braid. I snarled harshly down at them. They literally shot my hair off.

_Note to self: Get hair ties so hair won't be shot off by dogs with guns..._

Once I got close enough to my best friends, Mini's voice was happily talking away, like always in a situation like so.

"It was so-so cool. My dream was showing me this really tall building that read, 'Institute of Higher Living'. Whatever that means, a clue whatever! I'm gonna see my sister you guys, it's so amazing! And then adrenaline whipped up through me so fast Becky, It was _amazing_!" Mini took a deep breath and smiled her face red from not breathing for a moment.

"You have lungs Mini- Mouse." Todd joked. Mini and I both rolled our eyes. That joke was old to count the centuries.

"No offense or anything Todd, but I don't think I'm eleven anymore. I'm not a mouse either; you should know that by now." Mini said smiling and well she just flew higher and did some moves like dips and stuff that I had taught her.

"I was just joking." I heard Todd mutter, staring at Mini's lively body. She had so much energy, and I bet if we contained all that into an emotional less person, they died from being over whelmed. But that's why I love her, she's my bird dork. For now.

"God, she's so hyper. What did you feed her today, Becky?" Todd asked me, as he flew closer to me. His tawny wings beating powerfully against the wind.

"Hum, nothing. She just had a couple of fruit things and a bite of a donut..." I told him honestly, and she didn't even eat all of it, either. I glanced at Todd, he had a look on his face that said, don't give Mini fruit things. Like that'll be stopped; I can't control her anyways, even if I tried.

"It's Central Park!" Mini's excited voice yelled through the air rushing past us. I flew up to her, my loose hair whipping behind me like a train.

"Aye, Aye captain." Todd called out in mock excitement as he placed a stiff hand on the top of his forehead. Just like a sailor.

Then in moments time we landed in an oak tree, just sitting there and watch the people pass by like their lives are carefree and non-existent to our problems.

As soon as we landed in the tree, Mini was talking to herself, though I think her conversation was aimed towards me, about the lines in the tree on a lower branch. While doing so, Todd drew in the tree with his pocket knife five branches above her to the left. It's amazing thing what people can do when they get bored. I stared down at the people passing by. So many different people. Fat people, tall people, Hey... cute guys. There were the Creepy people, weird people, and homeless kids. The list just goes on.

Then some lady that was a mom with a little boy tugging on her sleeve flipped out her cell phone and dialed a number and waited. I listened closely to her side of the conversation.

"Hello? Hi, ma'am I have a few kids climbing trees down in Central Park...Uh-huh, that looks like the one you're talking about," The Lady said into her phone as she continued to look directly at me.

I shrugged my shoulders it couldn't be us that she saw, she couldn't even see Todd. He had found himself blending in like a chameleon against the tree leaves. Mini was in the middle of the tree now, hugging it like it was her long lost toy and she swung up the branches to the top. And I knew the lady saw me, for I gave her dirty looks whenever she glanced up at me. So, I'm a frightening person, as I was told, I make little kids cry at a glance. But it's not too bad. It kind of feels refreshing to know that you are feared, that you're up on top of everything else for once.

Eventually she walked away, and five minutes later our tree was surrounded by unwanted police and attention. Great, just _exactly_ what we need. Publicity.

"Trees are not allowed to be climbed in Central Park." The lady Officer repeated over and over again for a long time until the three of us decided to take action. I was itching to fly the heck out of here, but I was to slow to jump into the air. Instead, Mini beat me to the punch when she spoke.

"Becky, I'm going down." Mini's voice called as she jumped out of the tree lightly, without breaking any bones in her body. Todd followed her as they put their hands up in the air and waited for me to come down. Sighing I pulled out my gun that I had for years and jumped down as well. Instantly guns were pulled out of belts all around me. I watched Mini and Todd, handcuffed and being pulled into a cop's car.

"So much for fighting back." I said angrily and dropped my gun from my hand. An officer carefully walked over to me, still putting me at gun point, and took my gun that lay peacefully on the ground, that waited for me to pick it back up once more.

"She's armed." The guy said as he put my gun in a plastic bag. Well, no shit Sherlock, I'm armed ten times more than any SWAT member that you have, on a good day, I thought to myself angrily as I furrowed my dark eyebrows together.

"Alright sweetie we're going to take you kids downtown have you guys call your folks." Another officer spoke as she led me to the cop car, hand cuffing me in the process. Rolling my eyes when I realized I sat down by Todd who was grinning like a mad-man.

"What's your problem? We are in _danger_!" I yelled at him, my voice threatening loud, so tempted to hurt him hard enough I might be able to get his sense knocked into place. Instead I kicked him harshly in his shin, making him hiss in slight pain.

"I have a plan so good, they'll go up the walls." Todd said, evilly as he looked out the window, nonchalantly.

"You're the master of plans, like a Kung-fu master," Mini said sarcastically as an officer slid in his seat and looked at us through the rear view mirror, his brown eyes showing curiosity. As if he saw us before. This was probably more likely than me living in a giant bucket.

" Kids want to give me your phone numbers so I can call your folks, along with your first and last names?" the officer asked us politely as we stared back at him, our faces so stiff, not even starch could make it even stiffer.

Sighing in defeat, I spoke first. "Night, my phone number is top secret." The cop smiled as if he was playing along with the game I began.

"Alright, kid your next." The cop said, staring at Todd like he was bait for a fish's bite on a fishing pole.

"The names Mud-Bath." the moron next to me said, trying to sound cool, with his new picked up New York accent. The Cop raised his eyebrows and looked at Mini and smiled.

"Alright Sweetie, your next."

"My name is not Sugar, dope." Mini said as she stuck her tongue at the officer, her eyes glaring at him. I felt so proud, I taught her well, "Its Sunshine Moon Lake".

The Cop nodded his head, thinking we were nutcases as the vehicle turned onto a road that led to the police station. Once entering the parking lot, the officer left the car unintended. Todd looked around and kicked the metal fence between the front seat and backseat. I whistled as Todd did the matrix to get out of the back seat. That's when the cops came, armed and ready to shoot us if we tried to run. Which is most likely?

"Mini grab a gun, it's up my arm." I whispered. But it was already too late for her to react; she, Todd, and I were pulled out by the cops and walked into the station, putting us behind bars. Every place that a mutant freak needs in their life. To be locked in a cage, again.

"This is the best day ever!" Mini shouted angrily as she sat down on the cold cement floor, angrily. I sat down beside her and she put her head on my shoulder, wanting to comfort her, I tried my hardest to keep my wings on my back. They wouldn't have to be pulled out in a public place like this. Cameras flooded the place like flies over a dead carcass. Instead, I placed my head on top of hers, like we were little kids again.

"I wonder if I can..." her words dropped off as she left my presence to roll around on the dirt filled floor until her hands were in front of her, instead of behind her. Heavy footsteps came down the corridor, another Officer that I won't have time to memorize.

Eyes wide and clearly in shock of Mini's current event, the officer opened our bars and lead us into a room where three chairs were set up in front of a table that spread across the room. Across the room, near a corner, I could have sworn that the man standing there was my Father. I though t I killed him, years ago when he made me angry. The man that resembled my father stood there grim faced and mad, he stared at me as if I wasn't in trouble. Instead his expression seemed to be as if he was mad at himself for not teaching me everything that I needed to know. I sat down at the closest table to the door as Mini took the furthest and Todd took the middle.

Our Officer stood in front of Todd's' side of the table and spoke. "Obviously you kids had a ... rough morning." I saw Mini tilt her back and pretend to snore, bored out of her mind, most likely. I smiled and looked at the man that looked like my dad and gave him a small smile that ended up as a smirk. He didn't respond though, so I took it that he didn't want to make any movement towards me. The cameras were recording everything. I could feel it in my veins.

"Wake up!" The officer roared at Mini, making her jump a bit. "I'm going to ask you kids some questions, individually." He pulled out a file, stuffed with papers and sat down across from me.

"I hate you. You're a gun thief." I said simply with a straight face at the Officer. Across the table, I caught the sound of Mini's giggle.

"My name is Officer Chris and this man over here is Dr. Mason Black. Here is your first question." Chris pulled out a black and white photo of an Eraser and slid it across the table for me to take a look.

Shrugging my shoulders with careful ease I spoke to him with a chilling low voice. "Yeah I've seen those, killed them before. And your point is?"

The officer ignored my question and continued. "Was your mother killed?"

"Never had a mom."

"Did you kill your father?"

"Yes." My answer was not a lie. It was the cold truth.

Officer Chris wrote down my answers in a note book and stood up. "Thank you, Night." Another Officer got ready to take me away to another room and Mini stood up along with Todd.

"Becky is not going anywhere." Mini demanded her hands clenched into fists. Not like it would do anything while it was still contained in hand-cuffs.

The officer chuckled and pulled out my gun and cocked it. "You need to learn how to keep your mouth shut." he purred, his fingers resting on the trigger. I wasn't sure if his face seemed to get a little furrier, his fingers a little more thickly. But for my knowledge, I knew that he was going down.

In a blurry flash of no more than five seconds, the three of us had broken apart our cuffs, which now looked liked metal bracelets -- but we would worry about getting them off later. And as I was hatefully retrieving me gun, I caught a glimpse of my father look-alike escaping the room. I stabbed the officer with my elbow in the gut, swiftly. I watched him bend down with pain as I slam my knee into his nose that scrunched up against his skull. Feeling a satisfying crunch, I let go of the limp body and moved to the next. Chris.

If only today could be better. I looked around the room, as I dropped the dead corpse that was previously named 'Chris' His battle went by so fast, I had no time to actually register the fact that I beat a full grown man into a pulp. Todd leaned up against the wall, the file in hand, shuffled through the papers inside.

"These are keepers." He said proudly as he stuffed the file inside his backpack. Zipping it up he spoke, "I think Florida is calling our name." I nodded my head, agreeing with him, we need to go hide, and frankly if Florida had places that we could hide in, then I would take it all in.

"Okay, I'm so there." Mini said happily as she walked out the door that lead to an exit that the word was 'EXIT' highlighted in a neon green. It actually wasn't that too bad of a color. Todd and I ran after our friend and met the blue skies quickly.

"Florida, here we come," I murmur quietly to myself as we surged southward like geese.


	10. Living Death

**Breaking News! It's a new Chapter! What a shocker, that is so shocking! From here on out, it's going to be from MR4, except the Flock never EVER did go to Antarctica. But that gozon dude happened, and there were NO global warning issues either. But the government did happen.**

**So as always read and review, because you know you want to!**

**Seven or so months later on.**

**Mini's POV**

Have you ever felt like the living dead? And blood leaving your body with every step and movement you make? And the only thing you have with you is the clothes on your back and a shred of hope? This is exactly where I'm at in life. Death following my every move like a gray cloud, waiting for me to collapse, completely defeated. I had just run through bushes that scrapped my arms, been shot and clawed at. All this is caused by the Erasers, who were led by Todd.

About three weeks ago Becky, Todd and I broke up. Split up, tore up, and left each other. Whatever you call it, it's the same meaning, and we are not together anymore. And maybe never will be. I knew this for one, because Todd wanted my blood, wanted me dead. And so far, he's getting what he wanted, just not yet.

I kept running, my feet pounding down on the dirt rocky road that seemed to go nowhere. With the howls of Erasers chasing me where ever I went, didn't help either. Houses darted the area every once in awhile and the rain kept on falling from the darkness of the sky. Animals ran through the muck and mud as the rain kept on kicking. Rolling hills and twisted mind cranking turns, lead me in a huge circle, again and again. Something deep down inside me gave me some kind of hope that somebody was waiting for me, wherever I went. And maybe, just maybe, my sister was that person.

Running was my best friend at this moment of time, and tomorrow it will be my arch nemesis. Especially right now, I had just tripped over my own two feet, as they struggled to stay upright through the hours of me running non-stop. I fell forward and slid about two feet. As I screamed out in pain, the dogs in the neighborhood started barking and howling. Or was that something else? I lay on the ground for a few moments before hearing faint foot steps behind me. I cautiously rolled my body into the side of the road, thankfully, it was a low ditch. I gripped my right wrist, realizing I had landed on it funny. Even in this cloudy night, I could see how it was bent a little too far back than it was supposed to be.

To make matters worse, the person still saw my blood. Oh crap... the closer the person got to me, the closer, I felt like dying right then and there. I took in a deep breath and held it until the person walked away. My lungs squeezing for another breath, but the person continued to linger, standing there as if they saw me but they were not too sure.

"No one's here Fang." A girl's voice rang through the air, making my body jolt from my hiding spot. I raised my head as I tried to get a closer look of the voices' owner. I didn't dare to follow them; instead I crawled on my hands and knees, trying to regain my balance to take off once more, if it were at all possible. Once I was standing up, my muscles felt like jello, and they gave out from under me. An astonished squeak escaped through my lips as I slammed back down into the ground.

"Gosh damn it." I muttered as I looked at my hands. One word: Chopped, Literally. My hands looked like they were put into a blender set on _chop. _But at the moment, it didn't matter.

"Who's there?" commanded the same female voice except this time it was strong and determined.

I sniffed, defeated. I needed help, that much I knew. Three people stood in front of me as I tried to look up at them. My eyes blurred them out from the fresh new tears that leaked out through my eyes. But I'm sure they couldn't see me cry because of the rain. My hair was dripping with water and I was cold to the chilling bone.

"Me." I say simply as my eyes shut down for the night. Finally I was able to sleep for a while.

"Iggy, she looks really bad." I heard a voice that sounded close, but yet so far away as I lost total conscience.

**Max's POV (For the first time! WooHoo!) **

We had landed here, sweet home Colorado, and frankly, it felt kind of good to go back to the same state before becoming runaway freaks. We had also broken into a home that was for rent, there were no cars, nothing that would get us caught. So we, the Flock just decided to stay here for a couple nights and relax, although we couldn't afford anything actually nice, we just got this. The small home was completely furnished. You know the whole nine yards. Nudge had thought it was used to show it off with its low price. Honestly, I could care less.

With curtains closed shut, we managed to get some electricity and water to run. Although there was no food, water was available.

I didn't feel like sleeping this particular night, of all nights, not like I could. The Voice kept waking me up for one thing or another. Either it was saying that someone was near or something in the lines of telling me to wake up in a rude way. As if it was prodding my brain with a Q-tip. It got annoying after the first few times it woke me up on Fang's watch. Talk about being a sleep deprived Freak. So, I had the duty of being an all-night-er, and take watch. I didn't wake Fang up when it was his turn again or Iggy's. That's when a high pitch screamed out in agony woke up everybody, even the dogs of the neighborhood. Good God Almighty. And just as it came, it was gone.

The kids were trying to stay asleep in a pile of blankets on the floor, when I told them that Fang, Iggy, and I would go check it out. I comforted them quickly as slipped on my boots and a windbreaker. I opened the door and stepped outside, followed by the guys. I cast a glance back at the house, to check if the kids would be alright, and they were. Nudge was slightly awake, eyes half opened and mouth dry as she sat up and looked around.

I began searching for the owner of the voice by walking down on the road, my senses on red-alert.

"Max you find anything?" Fang's voice asked me from a few yards to the left of me as I thought I saw a body by the side of the road, in a very low ditch, but I wasn't too sure. I stayed there, watching the girl trying to not make a sound. I tried to prove myself that it was nothing so I could reply to Fang.

"No one's here Fang." I said with ease, but my heart was tugged as I said his name. I turned around and walked back to the house. But for a weird feeling came over me. The girl that I saw beside of the road was trying to get out of the low ditch. Then I heard a body fall to the mushy ground and cursed. Instinctively, I turned around and saw a girl that looked like she could have seen better days in her life. So could I, but she seemed kind of in tougher situation than I was, momentarily.

"Who's there?" I commanded with a strong and determined voice.

The girl sniffed, and realized that she was surrounded by the oldest Flock members and just spoke a simple word.

"Me." Then mystery girl closed her eyes and went limp.

"Iggy, she looks really bad." I say as he and Fang leaned down to pick her up to the inside of the house.

As the guys placed her down on the couch, Iggy's long pale skinny fingers raced across her still body. And the one thing I noticed about this girl was that she looked like death all over again. Her chest rose and fell evenly, so that gave me the hint that she was still alive.

"Did she lose a lot of blood?" Iggy asked carefully, still unsure what's going on, probably tired too. I nodded my head yes, then spoke.

"Yeah, Outside looks like a death pit."

"Crap." Iggy muttered as the girls eyes flashed open and then fell.

"Becky... where'd go Beck? Todd you...moron..." The girl spoke through her sleep. Who where these people that she was talking about? Where they her imaginary friends? "Fine, at least I'll fly free." She added on to her list of words that didn't make sense to anybody awake in the room.

For sometime throughout the night Fang, Iggy, and I placed band-aids on her limbs, before they got infected. Yup, that's us, the Dr. Flock. Her legs were horribly cut up, the same with her arms.

"It feels like she ran through a barbed wire fencing," Iggy mumbled as he fingered her scratches that were beginning to heal already. I watched the skin particles reattach in moments, and with a shred of hope, I was putting faith in front of me if that the girl in front of us was another bird kid. It was proof that the Flock and I weren't alone in this hated world.

Gazzy stirred in his sleep and sat up, looking confused as he rolled out of his side of the blanket pile. He must have been really warm, for his face was flushed. He walked over to us, and sat down by me as we stared at the injured girl while Iggy worked on of her wrists to pop it back in place.

"Max, she looks kinna like you." He said to me with a stifled yawn.

I ruffled his hair, before responding. "Hm, really?" I asked him, puzzled. I didn't care too much about my looks, so when Gazzy told me his thoughts, I shut down any caring form about her. If she was like Max II, then I wanted nothing to do with her.

"Yeah, your noses are the same, and the way how she's frowning in her sleep reminds me of you too." He said, as he leaned up against me, one of his fingers found my belt loop, and he held on to that as I wrapped an arm around his small shoulders.

"You look at me when I sleep?" I asked him playfully, as he nodded, smiling a bit.

"Don't tell Fang, but he does too," He whispered into my shoulder as I looked at Fang. His face was calm as always, except I knew him. A small muscle in his neck twitched every so often to show that he wasn't okay. And the way how his dark, nearly black eyes seemed as if they were clouded over, he was in deep thought. I looked back down at Gazzy, smiling something that shone some authority.

"I promise to not tell Fang if you go back to sleep." I bargained with him as he looked back at me, grinning in his maniacal, near evil way.

"Promise." And he got up, leaving my side, giving it a feeling of slight emptiness. I watched him crawl under his stack of blankets near his sister and he quickly fell asleep.

"Max? Uh, our new friend seems to be okay now," Iggy told me as he rubbed his hands on his grubby blue jeans.

"Yeah, alright. Thanks Ig." I said to him, feeling tired all over again.

"Want me to take watch?" He asked me, just as I stifled a yawn.

"Yeah, why not." I responded with a light shrug, tapping our hands together. I walked over to my corner of the living room; before my head hit the pillow, I was already sleeping.

**Mini's POV**

When I woke up the next morning, I was laying down on something soft, and it felt pretty good. It was better than grass and an old jacket. My wrist wasn't flaming hot anymore, and I felt better, I could move it without gasping in pain. I knew I was highly bruised, no longer bleeding, but still in great pain. I'd heal soon, just not soon enough. I moaned and tried to sit up. But stiffly fell back down and hit my head on the arm rest of the couch.

"Ow." I groaned softly, as my left hand instinctively flew to the back of my head rubbing the spot where it hurt the most.

"Is she up yet?" asked a little girls' voice from a few meters away. My eyes darted around the room to match the voice to the body. Three kids came over to me, curiously.

"Wow, she does look like Max." The oldest of the trio said her brown eyes wide with excitement. "What if their sisters or something? That would be so cool. They could be like best friends and... We'd have another member in our Flock." The girl continued on, a finger on her chin as she thought about the situation.

"I think she's up. Her eyes are open, let's wave hi." Then they followed the younger boy's advice, and all three of them started waving their hands towards me quickly in a blur. I gave them a small smile and waved back at them, amused. I waited a moment to get my sense straight. I had to get past this pain; a blood rush went up through me so fast it made me dizzy, even with me lying down. I moaned again as I sat up, and turned my body so I was sitting on the couch normally. Elbows on knees, I placed my head between my hands to get past the head ache.

I didn't dream last night, which is odd for me because I always dream. Always. Even if it's a flash that repeats it until morning comes, that would mean something to get through the day until I eventually forgot about it. But last night, I drifted in a dark night, floating in and out of unconsciousness.

I picked my head up slowly getting a good look-see of where I was at. Daylight was streaming through the dark curtains. A tall guy dressed in black was picking blankets and pillows up and walked down a hallway and disappeared. The two younger kids were packing things into backpacks, teasing each other over who had the most things. The other girl, older than two picked up the kids backpacks and threw them towards the door where four others where.

"Can I leave yet?" I asked to anyone who would listen to me. I felt uncomfortable being here. I didn't know any of these people and the last thing I needed was for them to see was my wings. Instinctively, I placed my hand on my back under the shirt, feeling the feathers on my wings. I moved my hand when another somebody entered the room.

"Nope, not 'till Max says the word that you can leave. But she's sleeping right now." The guy said, standing a few feet away from me, Arms crossed and leaning against the wall. I blinked roughly. I saw that posture before, but not just the posture, but the face that went with it. I bit my lip, heart racing, mind spinning, another dream came true.

"If I told you that I was fine, then could I leave?" I bargained with the guy, surprising myself that I spoke so easily. I picked off a band aid from my elbow and folded it into a square and shoved it under the couch cushion, waiting for my answer.

"Zilch." He spoke again, grinning. Why was this happening to me? Eyes wide, realizing that footsteps where coming back down the hall. I tapped my feet against the floor, and just that slight movement made the muscles in my legs sore. I sighed; I wouldn't be able to run out. Flying was my last option. I loosened my wings, praying that this was only a one floor house; I spoke again closing my eyes.

"Can I have some water then?" I asked pacing my breath before reopening my eyes once more.

"Yes, that I can do." And when I closed my eyes again, I heard his footsteps walk away with careful ease. When he came back, I drained the glass and stood up. All the muscles in my body groaned as they came to their senses that it was time to get moving. They didn't want to. I feel backwards into the couch unwillingly.

"Where is Max?" I asked my patience wearing very thin. And before the guy to react to my question, the voice I longed to hear again since I was a toddler came back to my life in a way that was unsuspected.

**Okay, well to answer any upcoming questions. Yes, Mini found her sister, but she passed out. No, Becky and Todd are not flying together. No Becky is not going back to her dad and No I don't own MR. But I do own MR and Becky and Todd, and future minor characters as well. : )**


	11. Unknowingly Reunited

**Yay! Another chapter. Thanks for the reviews you guys, I'm glad that your enjoying the story. **

**Mini's POV**

" I'm Max." The girl said as she walked in front of me, hands on hips, weight on one leg, she was definitely upset. My eyes blinked a couple times, trying to register the name, though I heard only a few minutes ago. Max. It sounded strangely familiar, I could of sworn I heard it before. Like an old memory lost over the years. Then it all clicked back together in moments counting time. I was able to put old memories together from so long ago. Max is my sister, the one I've been trying to find for years on end. No wonder why the kiddies said that I looked like Max.

I squealed and jumped off the couch, forgetting about my sore body, to give my sister a hug. You know the kind of hug when your all excited and happy but the other person stands still, not knowing what just happened. I wrapped my arms around her torso, rocking back and forth. Max struggled to get a grip on my arms.

" Get off of me." Max growled, her fingers curling around my arms as she yanked me off of her and pushed me back roughly. I took a step back regaining my balance. I didn't know whether to smile or not. I was sure as surprised as Max was. What was the possibility of me showing up where they happened to be at? I haven't looked for Max recently, so maybe that was why I made my way here.

" Oh, I'm sorry." I say slowly, realizing what was going on. The way how Max was looking at me it was between anger and she upset because I hugged her? Or another reason that I didn't cause. I licked my lips nervously. It seemed as if the rest of the world drained away, leaving the two of us here. "I-I don't want to fight." I hear myself whisper. Max throws back her head and laughs loudly, as if she already knew we would. Somehow, this wakes up my dulling senses. The rest of the room came back to focus. the kids were standing back by the door, backpacks in hand. The dark guy was standing behind Max, in that protective way. And the other guy... Where did he go to? I turned my head slightly to the left, he was sitting in a chair, eyes closed and in his hand was a thin green electronic device. Ear buds where in his ears. He was not paying attention to what was going on.

I glanced back at Max, and she spoke. "I hate to break this to you, but your coming with us." She says with a small smile, confirming my dreams of finally being with her. I smile happily, although the look on Max's face was becoming firm and grim, she wasn't to pleased with my excitement. But to my realization, this all seemed way to easy. Where was the twist?

"But... why?" I asked her, confused why she would accept me so easily. "I mean, like, we're sisters, but why would I be so hateful towards the idea." I asked, staring at Max as she had the look of shock on her face. "Its not like I'm a prisoner or something." With this comment, Max laughed once more, her teeth shining in the light. And somehow, this made me feel smaller and weaker than I already was.

"No, your not a prisoner. We just want to keep an eye on you." Max says, her tone clearly professional. She meant business. I swallowed thickly. My throat feeling like a sandy desert in the process.

"An eye on me?" I repeated, my voice a mere quiver. I was truley scared. Max had to be my sister, why was she being so mean to me? Was this the twist that I jinxed? No matter how many times I thought on the reason why Max was acting the way she was. My answers came out to be the same. _She doesn't remember me._

Covering my face with both of my hands, I forced angry tears back into my eyes with the base of my palm. I take in a deep breath and let it out slowly as well as my sluggish thought process. It wasn't fair. I had to come up with something fast. Something that would make her believe, even if it was just the slightest.

"Remember when we were little." I began, my voice a harsh whisper. I looked back at Max, her expression hadn't changed. " And Dad put us in the same cage. I was so happy that I finally got a bigger cage. Bieng able to stretch my legs all the way was a somehow comforting. And sharing cage... even better." As I went on to tell Max about my short stay with her, Max's facial composure was softening and becoming strangely confused. By the time the short story ended Max looked at me with a crazy confusion that didn't seem like her at all.

" Who are you?" She asked, her voice soft as well. I shook my head. It was useless. Even our first and last memory together was a short one from when were little, I had to tell myself that if I were Max, I'd have other things to worry about than a lost sister that was just a distant memory.

With upper lip quivering, I looked for a the door. I wasn't wanted nor needed here. I gathered up what was left of my personal strength and set one foot forward, calculating my speed from zero to two hundred in five, four, two. I closed my eyes, gritted my teeth, balled up my fists and took another step forward. I was about to make another step until I noticed Max's fingers counting down from five. With a questioned look, I looked around the room once more.

Max was there, staring at the wall behind me, silent. Her boyfriend quiet as well. Not to mention it, the entire room - no _house_ was silent_._Something wasn't right here. Where was the girl with the dark skin and frizzy hair? I waited a moment before turning around slowly. Feeling the presence of someone behind me. As I counted down the seconds, cold hard metal hit the back of my head with a dulling thump.

"Owww." I muttered, my hand fluttering up to the back of my head, adding pressure to the pain. "Ouch." I said again, feeling my sudden heavy eye lids close upon me. Complete darkness enveloped my mind and body as I floated through unconsciousness.

**Max POV**

Iggy yanked his ear buds out of his ears and shoved his ipod into his front pocket, sightlessly glaring at Nudge. " Did you have to hit her that hard?" Iggy demanded as he walked over to pick up the girl's unconscious body. I felt my spine stiffen as I watched Iggy brush her hair out of her face. And when her mouth slightly open, I touched my own in curiosity. There was no way that we could be sisters. It was virtually impossible.

_Nothing is Impossible Max. _The Voice whispered in my head, as if it were leaning into my ear, giving me answers to a test.

Well, Good morning to you too Voice. I guess that's true. I mean, I have a Voice in my head besides my own. I suppose it is possible. 

_Exactly, Now think out side the box. Did you truly listen to her story?_

No, I admit that much.She was making some kind of story up. It wasn't true_._

_Max, Your memory of the school was full of pain and torture. Don't you think that your brief acquaintance with your sister was on purpose? Important?_

With my nose flared and gritted teeth, I pushed the Voice out of my head as I watched Nudge talk back to Iggy.

" Well, no... But I had no choice!" Nudge told Iggy, as she held the frying pan in one hand, putting her other on her waist. " I mean, like, she was going to run off. And _Max _did say that she wanted her to stay with us. You know, becoming one of the Flock and stuff."

"Nudge, your putting words in my mouth." I tell her, crossing my arms over my chest again. " I never said I wanted her to join the Flock. I want to keep an eye on her."

"But she has wings!" Nudge shouted, jutting a finger towards the girls back. "She's like us, Max." Nudge added only with a softer tone. "And she mentioned names. There could be more bird kids and we don't even know it."

"Nudge. Please. Be realistic here. She's hurt and we took her in until she is healed. She probably mistaken me for someone else." I tell Nudge with a calm voice, trying to be reasonable. Nudge crossed her arms over her chest and grumbled as she walked past me, brushing her shoulder against mine. I turned to watch her stuff the frying pan in her backpack and storm out the front door, backpack in hand.

"That was intense." Gazzy said, breaking the eeriy silence that followed afterwards.

"No kidding." Angel muttered as she walked over to me, taking my and in hers. **_Its going to be okay, Max._** Angel adds in my head. I send her a light reassuring smile.

" Man, she's light!" Iggy says grinning his familiar toothy grin as he made the girls' limp body jump up and down in his pale ropey arms.

Noticing Fang raise an eyebrow as he stood next to me, he says: " Let me try." Iggy handed the girl to Fang, and he threw her lightly into the air and then caught her with careful ease. He nods and hands the nameless girl back to Iggy. He positioned her bridal style.

" You guys, I think we should head to Mom's." I said trying get to get their attention before Gazzy wanted to see how apparent light she is.

" Yeah lets go Max, I don't like this house, it gives me the creeps."Angel said as she dropped my hand and went to go pick up her backpack. SHe looked back at us before heading outside with Nudge.

" Hello guys lets move it. I'm pretty darn sure Angel wants to see Total." I said sounding like the leader I am. " And I'm positive you guys want a _hot _shower. Not a cold bath in a creek in a forest."

" Lets go then." Fang said, with his own special ways with words. I turned around to have Gazzy had me my back pack, I thanked him before he gave Iggy's back. With the Help of Gazzy, Iggy was able to put his back pack on and still hold Nameless. I threw the front door open and waited for the guys to spring in the air before I relocked and shut the front door to the house we had broken into.

With my backpack square on my back, I stretched out my wings feeling the power that they hold. I took a running start and jumped fifteen feet in the air before flapping my wings. In only a few moments I had joined the flock as we made our way to my Mom's new home.

After twenty minutes of flying silently, I coasted my way towards Iggy.

" Ig, just to be on the safe side, check her back will ya?" I asked him over the roar of the winds.

Iggy nodded as I watched him search her. His hand slide up her waist, rubbed his thumb against her lower back and nodded. " Yep she's clean like a sponge." I saw a brown feather peek out from under her shirt, and my heart pumped faster. Maybe she was my sister. Or a Max III. I shut down all thoughts towards that. I flew faster after thanking Iggy. Soon Fang and I wre flying side by side.

"Its going to be alright." Fang tells me, somehow this small statement makes me feel better.

I nodded my head, not really wanting to talk, I just had a feeling that girl had something major to tell us when we got to my Mom's. And for a crazy reason, I hoped that Jeb was there.

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**Ella's POV **

" Ella dust the fire place, will you before I bring out that old vacuum?" Mom asked from the kitchen, drying off a plate and putting it in the cupboard.

" Yeah Mom I will, don't worry about it." I told her as soon as I was done with dusting the TV set. " Whats the rush anyway? I thought that Max won't be here for another month or so, let alone Jeb." I told her as I strode over to the mantel.

" Guess she's comin' home early. Jeb too, said he wants Max and us to introduce somebody special."

_Maybe it will be his own life. _I thought saracastically as I sprayed the mantel with cleaner. " Do you know who it is?"

" Umm.. Ella hang on the phone's ringing up stairs, I'll be right back." Another excuse. Always, if she didn't want to tell me something, the phone mystically rings. Stupid phone. Maybe Max will be here in a couple hours. And then I can talk to Nudge and Angel about my new crush. And this time, its not that stupid boy at school who just dumped me over the phone. Nope its Iggy. Everything about him is perfect. Even him being sightless, Iggy still knows how to be perfected, even if he doesn't know how perfect he is.

I sighed as I turned on the radio. Mom had just figured out what kind of music she liked. After three years Mom had decided that Pop or Rock wasn't her anymore. Now its country. If I ever had the thought of changing the station, my mom would just change it back, no questions asked. I gave up after the second time of changing it back to my station. How appropriate, concerning the fact that they are living in the country now. A two story house, including a basement. So there's an upstairs, main floor, and a basement. Jeb helped pay for the home, considering the fact that him and Mom are getting back together. I'm happy for my Mom don't get me wrong, its just that, I don't like Jeb that much.

I decided on sweeping the kitchen floor and I did, then Total comes in as if he was some Romanian Emperor.

" Ella I'm hungry, feed me." Total said demanding as I swiped up the pile and threw it into the trash can.

"Total, you know what time it is don't you? Its not even lunch time. Besides I hardly doubt that Akila is hungry let alone Magnolia." I explained to him as I set down a hot dog for him on the table. Bun and all.

" I... honestly... don't... really... care... about... Magnolia..." Total said between bites. I sighed as I filled up the dog bowls with food and water.

Mom came down stairs smiling. " Oh, Ella Jeb's going to be here in three hours, Max will be here in two. I'm gonna take a guess that she had a rough night last night. Ella soon we will all be together, the five of us, a whole family, just what its supposed to be!" Mom told me excitedly.

" What about the Flock? Is Fang just coming?" I asked, all confused. Five? Who's not coming? Who is?

" Oh Ella, your so silly. The Flock is coming of course. Even Iggy." Mom said as she nudged me in the side making me blush.

" I'm going to go talk to to Akila now, tell her that lunch is ready." Total said as he jumped off the table and trotted up the stairs, calling her name.

" Its a good thing I got Angels' dogs fixed last week." Mom murmured to me and I responded with a giggled. " You may never know what Total may do to Akila." Mom added shaking her head.

" Yeah seriously."

" Okay so the kitchen is done, your room is done, Living room is done." Mom began as she rinsed off Totals bowl and out it in the dishwasher. " Are the bathrooms done? We may need to go grocer shopping. Maybe Max will come with us, Nudge and Angel too. That way we know what to get."

" All the bathrooms are done except the main floor, but I don't think we have to do that one. Can I call Katie before Jeb comes? Or is there something you want to tell me?" I asked as I sat in the chair waiting for Mom to join me. She did and spoke.

" Yeah go ahead and call your friends, tell them you need to get your homework done since the move. Tell them where we moved. Then and then once your done talking to your friends come downstairs, there's something I need to talk to you about." Mom told me as she got up and turned on the oven.

" Okay thanks Mom, I'll make it fast, don't worry." I promised her as I grabbed the phone off the wall and ran upsatirs to the room that Nudge, Angel and I will share.

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**_Thank you, your lovely reviews mean so much to me. they keep me going and well just to say, I love you all. If I don't post allot, its because I have an idea, I just haven't had the time or felling to go on and type._**

**_Love Serenity(Jessbackfinthing.) _**


	12. A New Night of the Hunt

**My 13th chapter read and review (by the way its slightly short)... :{D Moohahaha, Its deathly evil!**

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**Becky/Night POV**

Flying through the air at a speed so fast sent her body into a tizzy. Mission five had just begun. The girl flew through the night sky blending in with the darkness of night. At New York this high up in the sky, you could practically see everything. The girl soared over the tops of the business buildings and apartments. Stretching her pitch black wings to its extent made her happy, but she still had a grim look on her face. A natural grim look.

Weeks ago this particular girl changed her name to Night. To her Night has many meanings. Such as the end of a day, or life. Darkness overwhelming the light. Just a simple word, but it means so much. And this Night was becoming to get deadly.

Night flew harder and stronger, building and saving up her strength. Her next victim was to be dead within forty-five minutes. The cam-corder felt as if it was itching to get out of its case, but Night knew the time hasn't come for that.

Building apartment 178, Window 200, on floor 13, held the man that had been ordered be to get killed, without even knowing it.

It was Nights' second week on being on the hunt. Killing all people that had something to do with science, except for the experiments. It was a fun job, deadly but fun. Something to keep her busy, and something that she majored in. Who needs collage when you are born to be an assassin?

Night flew to the building that was destined for her to be at. Landing there, wasn't at all that difficult. Once Night landed, she made sure that her best friends were safe, but easy to pull out. Her knives. One knife, was exceedingly long, but thin. Something that made her happy. The other was short but also thin. This particular knife was her Stabbing, the other, her Slicer. The names of the two came from when she killed the Erasers back in the days of her childhood, the days when she had real friends.

Grinning when she realized that her baby was still with her, a gun. A fairly small one but a dangerous gun all the same. It fit in her palm as if it belonged there, but rested in her pocket of her jeans. She had more back at her makeshift home.

Night checked her appearance in her compact mirror that she carried with her. Her face was clear from any stray untamed acne, her bangs brushed over her purple eyes, while they stared back at her with a deadly glare. Her square face was hard and cold, filled with hatred. Happy from her appearance she threw the mirror back into her small backpack and pulled out the Cam-Corder.

This particular device was supposed to get the governments attention. The worlds attention, to let them know that she was coming and heartless as ever. She turned it on and faced the lens towards her, and then she spoke with an icy calm voice.

" Hello, People of the Nation and Government. Tonight is the night that my murder count will be at least at number 26 of the same state. I am a 16 year old girl with nobody killing these guilty people but me." Night grinned evilly at the camera, hopefully scaring the people who would soon be watching this little tape. " At this rate you should all be scared out of your own pants. So hold on to them tight because I'm gonna tell you, you may get new security alarms. This man has a family, has a life, and helped create me." Night showed the camera her wings and made them spread to their full extent. " Yes people I have wings because this man and a hundred million others have sick twisted minds. But mine is probably more sick and twisted for the causes of thier deaths. Should I care? Do I care? And the answer is no. I honestly don't care, and hate to break it to you, but I never really will. Let alone, I don't care about _you_." At the end of her speech Night laughed at a low deadly voice.

She reached over and turned the camera off. She gently put her stolen device into her backpack and skipped over to the stairs heading to the correct floor. She decided to not take the elevator because one of the many reasons is claustrophobia. Well you would have that same kind of fear won't you? Living in a white room that seemed to get smaller everyday. You'd get scared to, right?

When Night got to the room, she slipped on some leather gloves that have been worn out room the past 2 years. She opened the door quietly, making sure she won't wake anybody up, she got down on her hands and knees and crawled to place that would be a fortunate bedroom. And it was, A large bed was found at one end of the wall. On the ceiling was a ceiling fan, a perfect suicidal look for her victim. Night grinned at the thought. She got up and looked at the bed, it was empty except for some small gold packages that were open... Night stared at them and then looked away. It wasn't important at any matter, what so ever.

Night got a good look at the room. The walls were painted grey and red (perfect to splatter blood). There was no closet, but instead was a large wardrobe sitting by the door. Night decided that when the victim was in bed she would push it in front of the door. There were two windows, so Night opened them letting a New York breeze blow through them. There was a working desk, with a rotating chair.

In a bedroom like this, there so many different possibilities for a murder scene. She could do an easy suffication by using those pillows while he was sleeping. Or she cold shoot him with a single bullet. Or to play with him a bit. Anything possible could happen. It only depended on the victim's reaction.

She left the room being and trying to be as quiet as possible. She stayed close to the wall, afraid if she got to far out, she might get caught in the moonlight. She passed a room that could possibly pass as an entertainment room of some sort. There were a lot of electronic items in this room, a total Material man.

She went to the next, still staying close to the wall, something moaned and groaned. A high pitch squeal and laughter came from behind the door. A low chuckle and a couple rustling. It made perfect sense to Night that there was more than one victim in the apartment.

Night took out her gun and cocked it, after she took the safety off. There is no safety in committing murder, just awareness. She knocked on the door, and the noise behind it froze into a quiet stillness.

" Who is it?" A females voice spoke with a startled yet questioning voice, Victim one.

" The Police come out with your hands up!" Night shouted, she had her fake Captain Crunch Badge ready. More rustling.

" Be there in a second." The voice called. Night rolled her shoulders back and flexed her biceps and bent her knees. Closed her wings close to her body and she tightened her knuckles and prepared to shoot.

" How about now?" Night ordered in a voice that she only used to confuse her victims.

" I'll be there." And the door opened. A slender woman about the age of twenty nine or so. She had red curly hair and her skin was as pale as snow. She had green eyes that held impatience in them. Victim one was slaughtered.

Night pulled the trigger with out hesitance and the victim fell to the ground face forward with a steady thump. Blood pumped of the victims chest like a fountain. The blood was already staining the flooring. Night whirled around and ran swiftly to the bedroom. Hiding behind a corner she crouched down and faded into the darkness. She stuffed her gun in her pocket and turned the safety onto on.

'Theres no need in shooting myself,' Night thought cheerfully.

Angry footsteps came down the hall. Night stiffened her body, and pulled out her Slicer. Then there was a loud smacking sound and plaster from the luxury apartment fell to the floor like angry rain.

" Hear that?! That's you!" The guy shouted to her. Night snickered quietly.

'Why was this guy even trying? Oh yeah, because he doesn't whats coming.' She thought snidely.

There were more loud thunderous footsteps, and Night grinned. She jumped up from her position, and and swiftly landed on the wardrobe. The guy came into the room with a baseball bat smacking it around the room and above his head. He almost got Night, but she ducked her head an inch.

" Come out, come out where ever you are." The scientist crowed. Night giggled loudly, giving up her hiding spot. The man turned around abruptly. Smiling, Night jumped off the wardrobe and landed on the large bed, now fully visable. She kicked of the package and it flew across the room.

" Who are you?!" The guy yelled as he walked closer.

" Your worst nightmare!" Night took off the bed and did a simple round house kick to his chest. She felt his ribs crumble and snap under foot. The scientist laid there paralyzed. His bat left his hand from the sudden impact from his murderer. Night stood up and placed her knife away. No used to using it now. She took out the Cam-Corder and turned it on.

" Say hi for the camera." Night smiled as the scientist struggled to get up. But Night placed a heavy boot on his stomach.

" Let. Me. Go." The scientist ordered. But Night didn't move a muscle for taking her boot from him. Instead she pressed harder onto his stomach. He groaned, not knowing that he was being recorded.

" So, why do you think your... in this position?" Night asked as she moved the camera over to his face. The scientist tried to squirm from under her foothold, but failed miserably.

" I'd rather die." He spat towards her.

" Not yet, but you'd be dead before the sun rises over the horizon." declared Night, she was fairly happy with the situation she was in. Then she'd start a fire.. a new plan that just came into mind. She thought she heard the scientist say finally, but she could be hallucinating. " Your here because of what you are and what you've done. I'm punishing you for the crimes that you have committed towards me. I know, its selfish, But its one of those things that have to be done" The camera in Nights hand zoomed out so it can read the visual of the man laying on the floor. "So good night." Night removed her boot from his torso, and took out her Stabber, and threw it in his neck. Blood squirted at her and squirted around the room. Soon enough a small pool was formed around the body. Night took out the tape and placed it on his chest. With a her name scripted onto it.

She took the camera and set it inside her backpack. She went to the body and walked in the blood, hopefully she'll get to do something new tonight. She collected her bag and knife and walked out the room leaving a bloody trail.

She placed her knife back with his buddy and took out her gun, examiting it. Turning it over and over, when she was done, she walked back to the bedroom and went to the open windows. She stuck her arm out and pulled the trigger. Five rounds of bullets left her gun in a speedy attempt. In a matter of seconds she could hear the cops coming down the road to the building.

Night closed both the windows and an out of the apartment, stomping on the bodies in her way of escape. She made it outside and soaked up the dark night. Night ran off the building and spread her pitch black wings and flew to the run down warehouse that Night considered home.

**_Good Night Fellow Readers and Reviewers. :]_**


	13. I Loathe her

**Hello to the people of the FAN FICTION WORLD! wee!! its 8:00 Saturday morning much way better! I woke up at 3:32 AM and not going to bed till noon! so high fives and virtual cookies fresh hot out of the oven free for everybody for the FAN FICTION citizens!! WEE!! **

**And Now: I present to you a Minimum Ride chapter. ;]**

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**Mini's Pov.**

Have you ever woken up with the feeling that your head is going to split in a bazillion pieces of mush. And some part of skull in the middle which felt like it was going to explode. I wonder what would happen if the brain was on the outside while the skull would be on the inside...so weird...It'd be like bug mania. Well anyways, that's how I feel, a head ache bigger than Rhode Island. And that is not a misundermisstatment.

I moved my head so I can see why I was moving so fast. And surprise. What I say, may or may not shock you. I saw clear blue sky, with some clouds of course. I blinked my eyes and opened them up once more, feeling dazed. I saw sandy wings work powerfully against the wind and when they flapped, I could nearly touch the feathers. Frustrated I turned my head slightly to the left, to figure out why I was flying, when I wasn't at all. I didn't even have sandy wings... My face brushed against a cotton shirt, sending my nerves on red alert. I breathed in as as I looked back up at a friendly familiar face.

"Hyumgh-" I couldn't even talk without my words forming into mush itself. Geez. I closed my eyes, feeling embarrassed about my lack of communication, in front of this guy that was screaming hotness. But not only was I feeling embarsssed, My cheeks felt hot with the slightest touch. A low chuckle was heard from the back of his throat. And the way my head was facing, I could see his throat vibrate as he did so.

" Your up now. You've been out for two hours, at the most." The guy that was carrying me said in a calm voice. He was the guy that got me a glass of water back at the little house where I callopsed at from being hunted down by Todd. I nodded my head asI swallowed thickly as I tried to get a grip on life.

"I- I have?" Hearing myself talk was a miracle, even if my voice was groggy sounding, I was fairly contempt about it.

"Yup. The greatest two hours of my life." I heard him say in a murmer, I grinned in response.

"So, can I fly, or am I not allowed?" I asked the guy after a few impatient minutes.

"Max wants to make sure you stay with us. Its my job to make sure you stay in my arms." He says, his lips parting into a smile. I couldn't help but smile as well. I felt my body rise until his lips where at my ear. "Honestly, I think thats pretty... awesome." His fingers danced along my arm as he lowered my body for easier flying. I couldn't help the but laugh nervously as I watched his long pale fingerstap dance along my arm and my knee.

" So is your name Becky or what? You can talk in your sleep its really funny." A girl around the age of twelve or eleven asked, I remembered her face when I woke up on the couch from earlier today. She had frizzy dark brown hair that had some fading highlights that were blond some time ago. She wore a pink t-shirt that was blood stained and caked of dirt. It was the same with her jeans and shoes. While her dark brown eyes are darker than mine.

" Um. My name is... Mini not Becky," I answered, having to raise my voice over the rush of the wind. I waited a moment for snickering or an outburst of laughter but strangely, it never came.

I looked around, as best as I could; For how many people I saw, they looked like a family except they weren't all related. Only just the two younger ones. They did look like they happened to be related because they both had blond hair and blue eyes, it was kind of cute. Their wings almost matched except the brother, his wings are white with gray specks, reminding my of a falcons wings. While his younger sisters' wings are pure white, like an angel fell out of the sky and gave her wings to the girl. **(A/N: I actually don't know Gazzys' wing color, so I just guessed. Same with Iggy's.)**

I saw my twin, Max, she was flying up in front with the same guy from earlier next to her. He dressed in black with shaggy black hair. I couldn't tell if his skin was tan or if it was just caked with dirt, either way, it was fairly dark with an olive complexion. That will be a question that will be answered soon. But it seemed to me that with every down stroke of his left wing and Max's right wing, they touched but oh so very, very slightly.

" Well your name is different, its obvious, but different, I like it. My name is Nudge. I am also officially known as Magnetic Girl!" Nudge said,putting her arms out in front of her as she dived into the airand flew back up once more.

" No Its _not_! You are just Nudge!" The youngest boy shouted after her. I laughed quietly as they threw insults back to each other until Max decided that their arguing was enough. And if they were to keep it up, it would make her kick thier butts, gleefully.

It seemed to be another eternity later until Max decided it was time to land in a clearing that had a rather large house in the middle of it. It reminded me of _House on the Top of the Mountain._

" Max is this your Mom's new house?" The youngest girl asked in a voice of innocence, something I rarely heard these days.

" Yep. According to the Voice, there's more room than the one in that little town back in Arizona." Max replied before she angled herself to start her descent. Once we landed safely, the front door swung open and two people came running out calling all their names. The guy that held me had let me go carefully, making sure that I could stand on my own two feet with out collapsing again. His hand lingered on my own as I started to walk away. I walked around a bit while hugs and kisses were being thrown at one another from the mother and daughter.

Boredom over took me as attention was no where directed towards me. I decided to stretch out my tired and sore legs as I waited to be set free. Even though Max was distracted right now, I had the feeling that she would know if I ran off. Sitting on the ground, I grabbed my left leg, and pulled it over my head, having it completely vertical. Doing the same to my second leg, I dropped it down as I stood back up. I stood up and I looked around, everybody was staring at me with strange looks. I blushed from the stares of confusion as a middle aged woman walked slowly up to me and wrapped her arms around my torso. I patted her back with my left arm, as she kept crying and saying my full name. I didn't know if she was happy, or if I made her upset for some reason without having knowledge towards it.

" Oh, Minimum... Minimum, Minimum..." She sobbed into my shoulder. Honestly I didn't even know who she was and how she knew my extended name. She pulled back and took a long look at my face, cmiling with teary eyes. "Honey, you look just like your sister. You probably don't even know me. Jeb will be here soon. He got stuck in traffic." I nodded my head which was full of confusion. Jeb? He's coming, and all this time I have been looking for answers, he's been hiding from me. And how did she know that I didn't know her?

" I'm gonna kill him when he gets here." I growled lowly for no one to really hear as the lady motioned a younger version of Max and me. She had short brown hair that was up in a pony tail, with bangs that brushed over her eyebrows. She wore black shorts that went over the knees with a light blue shirt, and ballet shoes that went with her outfit. I became extremely jealous of her; my clothing came in rags.

" Ella, this is Max's twin sister Minimum. Minimum this your younger half sister Ella." The lady introduced us kindly. I nodded my head with a small smile on my face. I didn't know what was going on, so all I had to really do is pretend that I knew.

Ella grinned at me and spoke with sincerity, " Wow, you _do _look a lot like Max, Minimum. So, you are pretty short for the species that you are. No offence intended." Elaa says, putting her hands up in front of her as if she were to surrender.

" None taken, but call me Mini, its sounds so much better." I said with a straight face, " And it makes me feel better that there is _somebody _shorter than me." I added with a grin as I looked down at Ella. Ella still smiled but it was with mockery, something that I was aware of.

" Well that we all know each other, when is Jeb coming Mom?" Max asked as she clapped her hands together, making me jump a little. I looked away, aimlessly, from the lady that Max was calling mom and Ella, my somehow half-sister.

" He's supposed to be coming home before dinner, lunch is in the oven though. Iggy, do you want to help me with the salad while the girls sort things out?" She asked the guy who carried me for two hours or so, flirting immediatly as I woke up.

_" So that's what is name is," _I thought to myself, a light smile danced on my lips as I heard his name.

" Sure. Gazzy, _you _can start on the double by your self right?" Iggy asked to the younger boy who was holding Max's hand for support.

" Yeah, after Lunch, or a shower." Gazzy, the little boy, mumbled and closed his eyes and leaned his head against Max's arm.

" I'm taking that as a 'no'." I muttered but with some hidden humor that no one really heard. I noted how Iggy twitched his head towards my direction, not looking at me.

" Iggy, make the salad before monster Nudge goes on a rampage and raids the fridge, Please." The darker guy spoke calmly but with sarcasm that made everybody laugh, even me. After the laughter ended, Max stared at me, with confusion. And that look in her eyes... It made my spine shiver.

After Iggy left, Fang took Gazzy inside followed by Angel, Nudge and our Mom. I learned these names by listening and staying quiet, something I don't normally do. I'm usually more... bubbly? If that was the case.

" Your not my sister." Max said with confidence raising her head up high, straightening her back, and putting her hands on her hips, shifting her weight on foot in the process.

"Really hate to break this too you." I say in a loud whisper, crossing my arms over my chest, and leaning forward a bit, even if she was five feet away from me. I added," But, honestly, its not your choice whether or not we are sisters or not. Nor mine for that matter." As I spoke, I turned my back towards her and made my way into the house. Leaving Ella and Max, fume up with anger. I went to the closest room, which I found was the living room. Gazzy was sleeping on the couch while Angel and Nudge were talking to a little black dog, which I found was strange. He was rubbing his face against their arms, and making sounds as if he were crying.

" Max doesn't like me too well, so don't mind me being here." I said bluntly, and walking to the recliner chair, which I found out was very soft. Looks could be decieving.

" Oh, yeah, sure. Total, this is Max's twin sister, Mini. Doesn't she look exactly like Max?" Angel asked Total, the dog. I didn't expect to him to reply when he did.

" Her eyes, hair, and skin, all the same color and shade. But the question is, are you good at sarcasm?" The dog asked me with huge brown eyes that seemed to bore holees in my forhead.

" That depends what the situation I am. " I replied with a shrug as I stiffled a yawn. I closed my eyes as I instantly recived an unnecessary headache, which I found to be aggrivating.

" I think she's sleeping." Total replied again, and he was right, I was at least trying to sleep. And honestly I could care less what happens next as long as I kill Jeb, that traitor for a father. And prove to Max somehow someway that we really are sisters. Whether likes it or not.

**Max POV**

"I don't like her Max. Not at all." Ella complained to me as we sat on the front porch, waiting for Jeb to come home. " She's a clone, a fake, something." She adds, clenching her fist, a thing she caught on from me. What can I say? I rubbed off onto her.

"I don't like her either, Ella. I'll have Angel check over her later." I told her as I played with the hem of my shirt, not looking at my half- sister.

"Whatever, but why was Iggy holding her?" Ella demanded, obviously sounding quite pissed off. I didn't have to look at my half-sister to know that her brown eyes were flaming with anger. Her voice gave me the answer all by itself.

"She got knocked out with a frying pan." I told her grinning, " You should have been there, you'd enjoy yourself." I added as I remember the sound the metal pan made when it slammed against Mini's skull. It took her a moment to pass out but when she did, at first I wasn't too sure if that was a good idea or not.

Ella burst out laughing at the event, a few moments before Angel rushd out of the new house. With all three dogs chasing after her in the process. Total jumped and yapped as Angel taunted him, Magnolia and Akila with a rope toy. She let Magnolia bit the end of the rope. It was a tug-of-war between her and Ella's dog. Akila, feeling left out I decide grolwed and snapped her mouth over Magnolia's, claiming the rope as her own. Total sent words of praise to his 'mistress' as Akila pranced away and back to the house.

Angel made her way back towards us, her fiflthy face smiling in delight. " Oh, by the way, According to Iggy, Lunch is ready." She says as hshe bends down to whisper a secret to Magnolia, whose eyes widened. The dog barked excitedly, making me jump in the process. It started running around the yard with Total snorting at her.

"I'm taking it that you don't like MagBag?" I asked the little black Scottie as I leaned over my legs with a questioning look.

" Its not that I don't like her, I loathe her." He says, baring his teeth towards Magnolia who was nw rolling in the dirt. Angel rolls her eyes and rubs the top of his head, between his perked ears.

"You just over exaggerate." She tells him in a soft commanding voice. Total sighed as he walked up the steps, his head sagging. SOmehow I got the feeling that Angel told him something through her mind. Suppressing a shudder, I stand up myself and for the front door, Ella and her dog trailing behind me.


	14. Run Faster

**Wow 52 reviews! I love you guys! And most of them are positive reviews! Yay!! I know I don't give you enough love so virtual cookies to everyone! I'm actually fairly happy what happens in this story and how far I have gotten in it. SO that is a round of applause by itself!**

**On to the story!**

**Leaning towards Iggy's POV**

After Iggy created the salad in silence, his mind wandered onto that girl. _Mini, _Iggy thought in confusion. She didn't talk much; Mini just mumbled her feelings. It made him smile when he could hear her soft breathing just in the other room.

" Idiot," Iggy heard Mini grumble in her sleep. He listened to Nudge and Angel talk and laugh with Total, completely ignoring the sleeping Gasman and Mini.

" Oh, you're done, Iggy. It looks beautiful," Dr. Martinez said happily from where she stood by the stove moments later. Fang had left him at the sink to start on the salad.

"Thanks, Dr. M," Iggy said tonelessly. He directed his thoughts to Angel, who was running around outside with the dogs.

_Ange, lunch is ready. _

And within seconds, a stampede seemed to come from all directions. Iggy caught the sound of the Gasman's soft footsteps and followed him to the dining room. He also heard Mini's breathing. It sounded like she was waking up, but not coming for lunch.

" I know Max, she snores so loud. You'd think she'd never wake up," Ella said snidely in a whisper to Max as they sat down, making Iggy's stomach churn with acid. Fortunately, the beginning of their conversation was lost to Iggy, who just stabbed his salad with a fork, not caring who was watching him. He felt Fang tap the back of his hand twice under the table. Great. Fang probably wanted Iggy to tell him what was up with him.

" The salad tastes _so_ good Iggy, it's fantastic," Ella said flirtatiously, probably to soften his mood at the least.

" Uh, thanks," Iggy replied sheepishly, impaling the salad again. The talking began again and turned to a soft hum in Iggy's ears. He wasn't concentrating on their talk; instead, he was listening for Mini. _Isn't she hungry?_ She had to be starving. Maybe that's why she had seemed so light...

Then, in the middle of Ella and Max's rude comments about their sister, quick, light footsteps entered the room. Iggy smiled to Mini, encouraging her to sit down next to Nudge, where there was an empty spot.

" Any food left, or did Miss Piggy-of-a-human eat it all?" Mini said in a strong, mad voice. She had obviously heard Ella talking about her. Max stopped talking and laughed at Mini, and then continued talking to Ella, who made no noticeable response when Iggy felt the heat of another body sit next to him at the table.

As the table was set at a rectangle, Dr. Martinez sat at the front, facing the flock and Ella. Then on her right sat Max, Ella, Angel and Nudge. On her left sat Gazzy, Fang, Iggy and Mini.

" Mini, I'll get you something if you want," Dr. M said happily, ignoring the comments that her daughters had said to one another.

" Yeah, I'll eat first, then Ella's gonna get her head caved in like a landslide," Mini replied to her mom sweetly, but just as her mom was about to say something, Ella interrupted, so Dr. M just got up to get Mini her food.

" At least I'm not short," Ella said hotly. The sound that followed her statement suggested that Ella had just attacked her enchilada with her fork.

" At least I'm not a fat stubby human who doesn't even know how to speak _English!" _Mini exclaimed as she stood up and left the room. The remarks that Mini made to her half sister were partially true. Ella did know how to speak spanish. She was, after all, Hispanic. And fat was not really the correct word to define Ella's weight. It would be in the lines of slim or slender.

Gazzy imitated the sound when a team lost on TV. " Buurrrnn."

There was silence, and then Nudge burst out laughing, making everybody else laugh- except for Max and Ella. Max stood up from her chair and followed her sister. Iggy strained his ears to listen to their conversation over the noise of everyone else talking again. They were in the next room over.

" That wasn't nice, Shorty."

" And what makes you think that you're so nice?"

There was silence from both ends, and then Max came up with a comeback. "She's my sister, nobody talks to my sister like that."

" Too late. Hey Ella!" Mini came back into the dining room, skipping, with Max following behind her. "The shirt you're wearing makes you look bloated, did you swallow a water melon? There, I said it. In you face, Max." And to everybody's surprise, Mini screamed in pain- thanks to a fist from Max.

" Good GOD! My damn nose!" And then came an interesting string of profanities that the flock had never heard. By the time Dr. Martinez had set the plate in front of Mini, Iggy could just hear the slight sound of her mumbles about Max.

" Brat, jerk, moronic idiot," Mini grumbled under her breath. Iggy smiled in amusement; she was shorter than Max, but she had a voice for a champion for when she got mad.

After lunch ended and was cleaned up, Ella showed the girls the house and took them to their own showers, while Dr. Mom, as Fang had put it, led the boys to their basement hideout from anything girlish.

" Gaz, you're in need of a hot shower, you reek more than Iggy does on a _good_ day," Fang said to the Gasman with sarcasm and a hint of firmness.

" Fine, but to warn you, when I get it out it's not going to smell like roses," Gazzy said happily, and he ran to the bathroom that was destined to smell like _boys_, cackling the whole way. Once Fang and Iggy heard the shower run, they went to their room and Fang made Iggy spill.

" I don't know, it's just that I have to protect her? Or something important," Iggy said to the pillow that was now over his head as he lay on the bed that was his. He heard Fang nod his head as if he was agreeing with him.

" Ig, you don't know how much she looks like Max," Fang said simply. He ran a grubby hand through his hair, which was in need of hot water and soap. " Especially when she's mad." Fang chuckled lightly, making Iggy chuckle as well. The two boys had practically known each other since they were babies in cages. Now they were almost men. Fang nearly had stubble going on, along with Iggy. Silence rang through the air until Iggy decided to reply.

" You still crushing on Max?"

" Like ice." Iggy grinned under the pillow. For a minute, he was glad that Fang couldn't see his reaction. Even if Iggy's world was invisible to him, he was still visible to the world. Iggy heard a muffled scream from upstairs, probably from Nudge.

A loud "No way!" confirmed it was Nudge. Iggy groaned. Why did she have to be so loud?

**Ella's POV**

I showed Max, Nudge and Angel the upstairs. I was surprised that Total had actually kept it clean. Usually he would run around with an old stuffed animal and tear it to shreds. But he hadn't, and for that I was happy. Going down the hall, I showed them pictures that we took months ago of the flock, me, Mom and Jeb. My soon to be stepdad. Yay me. Notice the sarcasm.

It's not the fact that I don't like him, I do. It's just that Max doesn't like him, and the flock doesn't like him, so they kinda give me the idea to not like him. He's not a bad person. He got the government to build us this fancy-shmancy house that I like to call a mansion, but whatever.

And now the four of us were sitting in the bedroom that I would be sharing with Nudge and Angel, talking excitedly. Akila lay on my bed, while Total snoozed safely in Angel's arms. Angel was sitting on the floor, Nudge was stretched out across the extra-large yellow beanbag, and Max was sitting on a chair backwards. I had seated my self on the front of my bed, with a pillow on my lap.

" I have the greatest news yet," I began, to start off a new conversation. I hit my pillow with a fist.

Yawning and then stretching, Total spoke up. " This outta be good." Nudge and Angel began to practically bounce on their butts from the sudden excitement. Max's brown eyes began to get wide, but quickly shrank to be narrowed.

" Tell uuuss!" Nudge squealed, still bouncing, her eyes going crazy.

" Breathe people. This is important and it can't leave this room, never," I said solemnly. Heads bobbed around me, including Akila. Just to let you know, that's creepy.

" Tell uuuss!" Nudge repeated as she leaned forward to get the information faster, as if. I noticed that Akila's ears were perked up and Totals dark doggy eyes borrowed into my head.

" I like Iggy!" I blurted out, smiling.

" No way!" Nudge screamed, her eyes on a frenzy. Angel automatically slapped her hand across Nudge's mouth, and then removed it to wipe it across her grubby jeans.

" Yes way," I said, bouncing up and down. But we were interrupted by a knock.

" Who goes there?" Max barked at the door.

" Your worst nightmare," came a deep voice. Max shrugged and got up to open the door. She opened it wide, but none of us saw a thing. Shrugging, Max closed the door and went back to her spot on the chair.

" You were saying?" Angel asked, trying to get the conversation flowing again. After a couple minutes of us talking all at once, Nudge spoke to Max calmly.

" You okay Max? You look a little green."

" No, someone is in here. I can tell," Max grumbled as she wiped the back of her hand across her sweaty forehead. Nudge and Angel went alert, looking around the room and such. My back straightened so that my spine was nearly flat against the bottom of my bed.

" Max? No one is in here," Angel said as she tapped her head with her index finger. Even with that relieving response, Max still didn't loosen up. Her eyes were searching for somebody that we couldn't see. Somebody that was nonexistent to us. A gust of wind came from the window behind me.

" Who opened the window?" Nudge demanded as she got up from her claimed beanbag to go shut the window.

" I didn't do it," Angel replied to Nudge, well, innocently. Max and I agreed with Angel. Total did too, but he doesn't count. 'Cause does he have thumbs? No, he doesn't.

As soon as Nudge shut the window, it flew back open again. Agitated, Nudge shut it once more, only to find it fly back open again, and again. Confused, Nudge placed her hand on the windowsill, and pulled it away, gasping.

" Max, you are always right," Nudge said as she went to her yellow beanbag and sat down.

" What did you see?" I asked.

" Somebody was in here. Can't tell who, the person moved really fast. Like, they're invisible or something. I don't know. I'm taking a hot shower." Nudge said slowly as she got up. She hugged each of us in turn and left the room for her shower.

" Ange, you _swear_ nobody is in here this very second." Max cautiously said. She got up to start pacing and tripped. It was like a slow motion movie. You could practically see where Max tripped over air. After falling on her hands and knees, Max got up and grabbed at the air.

" Come out, come out, where ever you are."

Angel and I watched Max as she stalked around the room taking turns, closing her eyes. Angel, crawled to where I was, so she wouldn't get tripped and sat next to me. Her dog following her.

Max ran to the closet door and swung it open. She grabbed at something that was totally clear and brought it out.

" Fang it isn't funny to play jokes." Max said stiffly as she reached into the closet, pulling out Mini's body.

"You'know, I can run faster." She said angrily.

* * *

So here it is the Chapter of the night.

I would like to thank my new and very first Beta reader for helping out in this chapter. Her name is Blawwmkw, and she's fricken awesome. Just a little FYI thing to get out in the open.

So, as always review the story for MR to MR. (lol) much will be appreciated. Thank you.

SJones


	15. The AN of DOOM!

**An Author Note (Good God).**

**Hey you guys, So many of you have been receiving e-mail saying that I have add a new chapter to the story. But you think "okay new chapter", but come to find out, its not there. I have an answer to that. For the past, what feels like months, I have been combining chapters together. The first ten chapters have all been combined, thus making them longer. I know most of you are confused when you click on the special link for this special chapter, I just wanted to let you guys on the news of the story. Yes the number of chapters have been decreasing, it started at 25, and its now at 16-17. Basically, I have combined 9-8 chapters together, though they are spread out. **

**And to make things brighter, every chapter in this story so far is over one thousand words. Its not much, I know, but its hard work after school. I feel like I should be getting paid every time I write a paragraph. Like five bucks per paragraph. Dude, I'd be like, rich! **

**I don't want to write to big of a chapter, like 10,000 words, 'cause it'd get boring after awhile, right? So whats you limit of how many words per chapter? below 1000? Over two thousand? Whatever your limit of words per chapter is, let me know! I want to know, make my readers like me.**

**Also, What is the worst possible thing you hate about my story? Best possible thing that happened in my story? Whatever it is, let me know, please! I want to improve, be better and be liked more. FLAME ME! Gosh darn it! Cause if you flame me, then I know what I have to fix. And It will be fixed! ****God, I'm practically begging. But I need help, Yes I have a beta, and she's awesome don't get me wrong, its just that I need to know what my reader is thinking. It helps trust me.**

**So please, start on chapter one, and read all the way to chapter 16. Review, critize, flame, whatever you do it will help me. Use quotes that you hate and love. DO I need to describe more? More/less dialogue? Tell me! **

**Thank you guys so so so so so so so so so so MUCH!!!**

**Love you guys forever and always, **

**Serenity Dot Jones. ( Dot is my middle name, its short for Dotty. heh)**

**P.S. Have you guys found me at Maximum-X? I raid the forums all the time! Did you join? is it better/ worse than Fangs Blog: Fly On? **


	16. Breathe It In Boys

**So I love it when you guys review, it makes me so happy. I like that feeling. Also, I'm super sorry for not updating. I know I keep saying I'll update sooner but I'm not. So I just wanted to say I'm sorry. And this is much longer than before. Todd will be in the next chapter, he and Becky both play a very large role in this story. **

**Mini POV**

I had that feeling when I just can't get out of the wrath from my twin sister, who just happens to be bigger than me. It totally sucks, worse than having my leg being broken. Not that it's ever happened, it just sounds pretty darn painful. My arm, where Max had grabbed it earlier, was beginning to turn purple now. The sight of me either bruising, or having blood pool up, wasn't looking too good for my dirt-tanned arm.

"Why are you here?" Ella the Human Pig asked me as I struggled against Max, feeling the numbing sensation with every attempted yank. Her grip around my arm tightened, turning her fingers into a ghostly pale color.

"Well, ow, uhm you see, I was kinda wondering what you guys, ow, were talking about. So Max let me in," I explained. Well, in a way, she did let me into the room. I looked over at my twin to find that she was aiming daggers of hatred at me. Her deep brown eyes made me feel so... vulnerable. I attempted to yank my arm back, but failed again. Epic Fail.

"Ella, can you show Angel the bathroom so she can take a bath?" Max asked our sister as she continued glaring at me. Ella replied with a "sure" and set off to lead Angel to the bathroom, wherever that was. I never paid attention; next time I'd just open doors until I found something that resembled a bathroom. Max let go of my arm and crossed her powerful, skinny arms over her chest as she continued to throw her daggers of hatred at me with her eyes.

"Minimum, if that's your name, you're not my sister, and you'll never be my sister," Max's cold voice rang through my ears. My breath caught in my throat and the blood froze in my veins._ It came true_, I thought. _It really did. _After feeling dizzy for a slight moment, I decided to take the chance to breathe in air. "And for all I know, you work for Itex as a spy. Am I right? You probably _are_ a Max III. Because Max II is a failure. So the School just had to copy me _again_."

Though my body felt frozen, it hurt even more when she claimed that I was a clone. I couldn't be a clone, could I? I took a deep breath in through my nose and then out through my mouth.

"I _am _your sister," I argued seriously, with an angry stomp that shook the floorboards. "I have wings and I look just like you. What more do I need to show you?" I couldn't believe this. All these years of looking for Max, my so-called 'sister', and come to find out that she thinks I'm a clone.

"Well, for starters, I would love to see your _fourteen _foot wings," Max replied icily with her fists balled up at her sides. "Then I'll decide whether I believe you or not."

I nodded my head, and then spread my wings. Though they weren't fourteen feet wide, they were still wings and wings will be wings. Max nodded her head, acknowledging the sight. I folded my wings against my back, saddened at the fact that Max still didn't feel satisfied with me, in general. In the awkward silence that followed, I picked at a band-aid on my arm that I definitely hadn't put there.

"Is it possible for you to believe, ever?" I asked, not looking at Max as I spoke, hearing my voice break a small bit. A half a second later, a horrible smell reached the room, and I was glad that the window was still open. I scrunched up my nose in disgust.

"That would be Gazzy," Max murmured, before continuing. "Things like this still need to be considered," Max said strongly, obviously not noticing my hurting expression. "I'm not going to be the one to be jumping up and down when something like this occurs." She paused for a few seconds of silence that felt like forever and a day, then moved on to a different topic. "Why did you scare Nudge?" she asked. I stayed silent until her gaze upon me became even more intimidating than before.

"I didn't mean to scare her. The room got hot," I said truthfully, and though I looked her in the eye as I said this, she clearly didn't believe me. We stayed silent again and didn't say a word until two somebodies walked through the door, tension rolling off each of them, individually.

**3rd Person POV, Leaning towards Iggy**

Iggy lay on his claimed bed, dozing off. He could have been asleep by now if he didn't hear Max and her sister fight. It was worse than Max fighting with Fang, on a good day, even though their fights were just complicated flirting. It was obvious, even to Gazzy, who didn't even know what the term 'flirting' meant yet.

He groaned once he heard Max claiming that her sister was a clone. She had to be paranoid. " Make them stop," he moaned, face down onto his pillow. On the other side of the room laid Fang, on his own bed.

"Can't, too..." Fang began, before a snore went through the no longer silent air.

Iggy's legs slipped off the bed in an attempt to wake up when he heard the sound of somebody stomping on the floor boards. It was impossible for Max to go anywhere with out causing a fight or drama. Then the rest of Iggy's body fell off the bed with a light thump. Fang groaned from his bed, acknowledging Iggy's fall.

"Gazzy out?" Fang asked, as Iggy heard the sound of Fang's hand go across his face, most likely taking the sleep out of his eyes. He concentrated on listening to the sound of water running in the basement. He heard the water run throughout out the rest of the house, but he couldn't tell if the basement shower was still running. Iggy shrugged in reply and stood up, thankful that he didn't have to lower his head because he was at least 6'3 in height.

"Lemme go check," he mumbled as he walked out of the room, remembering the exact way he came in. With one grubby hand on the wall, he slowly walked the perimeter, counting his steps until he reached the bathroom door. Instead of knocking, Iggy lightly kicked the door until Gazzy responded.

"Hang on. Gimme a second, I'm getting dressed," Gazzy yelled as he rummaged through a closet of some sort it, or at least that's what it sounded like to Iggy's ears, through the door.

"Alright, later we can work on the thing-2," Iggy said secretly, running a hand through his overgrown strawberry blond hair. He knew that Gazzy understood his plans for their latest bomb. The bomb itself would be an exact replica of Big Boy back in the mountains, where they successfully blew up the Erasers to smithereens. He then walked back to the room he shared, following the perimeter once more.

As Iggy once again reached the room with careful strides, Fang was swiftly waking up from his nap. "What do we do with them?" he asked, referring to Max and Mini fighting over being related or not. It had become deathly silent upstairs. Iggy couldn't hear them arguing, even as he strained his ears to hear at a higher level, if that was possible.

"Let's see who gets hurt first," Iggy suggested, with simple ease, as he leaned against the wall lightly, a cheeky grin covering his face.

"Let's not," Fang replied stiffly, the sound of his bed suggesting that he was getting up from his sitting position. Then the sound of light footsteps told Iggy that Fang was planning on walking past him.

"Okay, tour of the house?" Iggy asked, knowing that he'd have to know what the place was like, step-wise.

Both boys left the room in time for Gazzy to leave the bathroom, happy that he was clean for once. "You guys getting food? I'm starting to get hungry," he questioned his older bird-kid brothers as they walked up the stairs, two at a time. They were not in a hurry; it was just the fact that it was easier and faster to get from place to place.

"Gaz, don't eat too much. Dr. Mom and Ella need to eat too, you know," Fang said in that brotherly, leader-like way, followed by Gazzy's famous maniacal cackle.

"At least you smell like soap," Iggy informed as they quickly neared the exit, but the comment was immediately thrown out the window when their younger brother made his so-called 'gift' occur. Iggy snickered as he quickened his pace and Fang passed him, moving a few strides ahead.

"Breathe it in boys. It smells like adventure," claimed Gazzy as he imitated a voice he had heard from a TV movie, back before Max was kidnapped. It was the lead penguin's voice. He followed the guys, taking in a deep, overly dramatic breath.

"Open a window, and hurry!" Iggy shouted, laughing as well, when he planted his feet on the landing, the smell from the staircase seeming to follow them onto the main floor. He caught the sound of heavy feet moving quickly across the floor to open up windows, feet that definitely did not belong to Dr. Mom.

"Boys, good to see you again," came Jeb's muffled voice as he swiftly approached the bird-kids, eager to greet them. "The girls appear to be having some sort of disagreement. Someone go stop them, please, and bring them down? I have some news and it isn't too great, either."

Fang grunted as he moved up the stairs, quietly and quickly, like death itself. "Gaz, if Ella is down here, sit by her," he instructed as he went up the stairs with Iggy following.

Once they landed on the top floor, it was silent once more. Thinking that something horrible had happened, the guys moved hurriedly, trying to find their leader and her sister. Eventually they heard a small part of a conversation about Nudge, and then the reply. _Through that door,_ Iggy thought to himself as walked to the door.

"You sure they're in this one, Iggy?" Fang asked, determination etched in voice, and most likely on his face as well. Iggy nodded his pale head once, and Fang placed his hand on the door handle, turning it swiftly. Tension rolled off each boy, individually showing their strength.

**Max POV **

The door to where the younger girls shared the room opened. _Oh, God,_ I thought. _It's Karma. The Devil himself is going to kill me because I was abusing my clone_. Then when I realized it was just Fang and Iggy, I sighed, relief washing over me. I took a deep breath before speaking to the guys, who frankly looked like they had just lost a bet. A very big bet.

"That's an entrance," I said with a raised eyebrow. My previous shock had completely vanished within milliseconds. I didn't look back at Minimum, scared that if I did, the guys would easily discover my hatred towards her. The fact was, was that I admit it. I'm a paranoid freak. Ever since I saw her, I couldn't help but think of Max II kidnapping me. And here was Mini, strolling in as if she would actually think that I believed her, on the spot, that she was genuinely my twin sister. That we truly shared the same blood.

And something inside me was... kind of... hopeful...

"We have good news," Fang stated as he walked into the room. I could see on his face that he was exhausted, and I couldn't really blame him. I hadn't slept at all, it felt like. Between the Voice dumping a crap load and Mini... it just wiped everything out of me.

"And you got bad news," Iggy finished for Fang, a cheeky smile dancing on his dirt-covered, pale face. I truly never liked bad news. Good news was fine, depending on the type of mood I was in. Sometimes.

"Which one do you want first?" Fang asked solemnly, his dark, sexy eyes looking at me in a way that said, 'Pick wisely.' I stared back at him, and I could have sworn my heart fell out of my head.

"Bad news," I said quickly, so I wouldn't make myself feel more like an idiot than I already am.

Iggy cleared his throat, before speaking. I cheated. I looked back at Mini, and watched her look away, a small smile on her face. I was seriously tempted to roll my eyes, but because I'm the Fearless Leader, I didn't. Instead I focused my attention on Iggy, waiting for the bad news to come.

"Jeb's here," he stated flatly, his face clearly showing disgust. I wouldn't blame him, either. If I saw him, I would be tempted to punch him out, only because I felt like it. I seriously needed a personal punching bag.

"Okay, good news?" I asked calmly, surprised with my verbal language of being a leader. Or Queen.

"Gazzy is clean," Fang said, a small corner of his lips quirking, an indication of a smile. My smile.

"I'll be down there in ten," I said coolly, before Mini spoke

Her voice was different than mine, probably higher in pitch. I couldn't really tell, but Iggy did. "I'll go see Jeb. He has answers," she said, then left the room, sliding between the guys and out the door. Her eyes showed so much expression and I wondered if I had revealed my feelings through my eyes. I'd have to ask Nudge sometime; she'd tell me.

"Off to be back-up," Iggy said, following my sister just moments later. Did I just really say 'my sister'? I didn't understand what was wrong with me. I should be happy that I have a blood sister, true to the heart blood. But how could I possibly know that we were actually related? She was just short, unnatural. I shook my head, hoping it would clear some of the busy bee thoughts racing through my mind.

Fang walked closer to me, his eyes unreadable.

"Sounded like you were going to attack her," he said softly, looking down at me. I shrugged, breaking the gaze off by looking away.

"People aren't supposed to come in and say, ' I'm your sister.' Its just not normal," I muttered to Fang. I looked back up to him and he seemed to understand.

"Maybe you should give her a chance," he said, as his stare on me lingered some more.

"Who's side are you on?" I asked him, my eyes wild with confusion and fury.

"Max, I'm Switzerland," he replied to my frantic question as he turned to walk away, looking over his shoulder, smirking.

**Wow. So this is not the longest chapter, but its pretty close. I see a very soon update along the way ;) I'm actuall very pleased with this chapter. I have to thank Rootlessdream for beta-ing it for my beta, Blawwmkw.**


	17. Omega

**Sorry for the long no update thing. Blawwmkw and I were working on editing the first few chapters. Then school got in the way... Yeah, no more excuses. We're going back on track now. This chapter is about what happened to Todd after he left Becky and Mini. And this chapter will be three weeks before Mini heads over to the flock, about the same time Max and Fang split.**

**Todd POV**

**_Fly faster._ I had just left Becky and Mini asleep in the cave after they passed out, exhausted from the long, tiring flight. They no longer needed me; Becky was strong enough on her own. As for Mini, she could go jump off a cliff, wings folded in. Mini no longer loved me, like she had once claimed. I knew our 'fling' for each other was not going to last. It was obvious.**

**I beat my wings down in the cool night sky. The further I got away from the girls, the more I would be free. I, Todd, was a free bird-kid. _Besides, who needs girls?_ I thought, my face twisted in disgust.**

**I slowed down my fast-paced flying when I noticed a light shining upon me. This was far from good. Then the sound of a chopper's blades pierced the air. I whipped my head around to see an Eraser aiming his rifle at me from inside the helicopter that was quickly approaching. My eyes narrowed as I bolted downward, away from my captors. Multiple gunshots sounded the air, and one bullet managed to clip my leg, right below the knee. I hissed in a breath. The ground was quickly getting nearer, and then I landed harshly on the sandy ground. I took in a few deep breaths; the helicopter's sound slowly faded away.**

**I remember that once, when I was a little kid, the whitecoats injected me with a drug that made my heart beat and lungs pump faster. I was in an unwanted adrenaline rush. My pupils were little dots in my eyes, and I couldn't help but struggle against my bindings and yell. My back had arched upward. Eventually the whitecoats had injected me again with another drug that overlapped the adrenaline rush and made me pass out into a dark, endless nightmare all over again. This is exactly how I felt, an unwanted adrenaline rush. **

**I placed a rough hand on my wound, attempting to stop it from bleeding. Of course, the sticky red liquid contuined to gush through the my hand, as it layed stiffly against my leg. It felt like a lightening bolt had struck down and electricuted my entire leg, making it hard to feel. Sort of like a numbing sensation. **

**I shuddered at the memory and zipped my jacket up. I would have to stay on the ground for now. Sleep was out of boundaries that couldn't be passed tonight. I pulled the hood of my jacket over my head, shoved my hands deep into my pockets, and began to walk along the road, limping because of my wound. If my instincts served me right, a town would be near in about ten minutes if I walked at a normal human pace, with a limp. **

**_One steady step at a time, and an uncertain limp_, I thought. I searched for the town, using the raptor vision that was given to me. When I reached the city I found the nearest ATM, and without my touching the mechanical device, a twenty-dollar bill slid through the slot. I grinned evilly. That was all I needed for food. Not nothing, but not enough for the cops to come searching for me. I shoved the bill into my pants pocket.**

**I turned around abruptly and jogged raggedly across the ongoing traffic to reach the fast food restaurant across the road. The name of the place I could not comprehend, except for the fact that it had a very large yellow M on a sign. I just knew that the scent that came through the walls alerted me to the items I needed. If I had stayed with the girls, I probably wouldn't have gotten the opportunity to eat for a couple more days. Reason bieng is because Mini would cause a scene, or somebody would tick Becky off, and frankly it would just be easier to get food by myself.I pushed the glass door to the building open and walked in, lowering my hood. I should at least look halfway decent, not criminal for once.**

**I joined the line, about the third person waiting to order my food. The place was indeed crowded with normal adults with their normal happy children, except for the few who complained about not getting the toy they had wanted that came with their puny, normal meal. When it was my time to order the fairly large meal that I would need to consume, the cashier smiled.**

**"Hey darlin', what can I get you tonight?" she asked me with a southern accent. She had deep red hair that was threaded into a braid and the whitest teeth I have ever seen. I glanced at the menu above the lady's head.**

**"I'll get a coke, with two Big Macs and a large fry. Vanilla milkshake sounds pretty good too," I told the lady after a quick glance at the menu.**

**"That'll be... Hm… Oh. That's right, silly me. Fifteen dollars and thirty nine cents," the lady said, confused about how to tell me how much I owed her. I handed her the twenty and she gave me a card that had a number on it. 67. Deciding I should check my leg, from the drippage, I was leaving a red trial behind, I headed over to the restroom. **

**As I swung the door open, my appearance surprised me **more** than anything that I've seen today. My brown hair was darker than usual and my eyes struck out like an angry rain forest. My face was caked with mud as well. I didn't bother on washing up, instead I shuffled to a empty stall. I sat down on the toilet, and lifted my pant leg to reveal a blood shed, no wonder why I started to feel lightheaded. I wiped the dry blood with the tioliet paper I grabbed, and dunked it in the water, to get it wet. Eventually, my leg looked semi-normal, and the bleeding began to stop. I wrapped more thin butt paper around my leg, just in case.**

**I had an old shirt that I never wore in my backpack, so I tore it out of my pack and wrapped it under the jeans to help my leg from further bleedin. Moments later I left the restroom with a non-muddy face and decently clean hands. **

**I sat at a small table, close to the exit, eating my meal quickly. The people who had once surrounded the area had left swiftly. I devoured my second hamburger and had begun to work on my shake, to raise my blood sugar, when a group of men entered the restaurant through the exit that was in front of me. I cursed inwardly, knowing they were Erasers. Thier thick hair and meldoic voices gave the answer away completly. As they piled into the restuarant, they filled almost every table and booth. Most were eyeing me, but I ignored thier hungry stares as I shoved a few fries into my mouth. **

**I shrugged my backpack over my shoulders easily with the shake still in hand. Unfolding my wings a bit, I ripped the lid off the shake and jumped over the table, slamming the shake into the nearest Eraser's skull. Using my injured leg to kick the nearest Erasers, as they morphed into their non-to-famous wolflike bodies. One managed to slice my cheek with his claws, while another kicked my wound, making me nearly doubling over in pain, like a girl. Another manged to punch me in the spine, between my wings. I was able to punch one in the gut, and spin around to knock another out. **

**Sometimes, staying in groups help. **

**I ran out the front door, spreading my wings fully. But then something hit me in the neck- a dart. If the saying goes 'my world went black', then I would have to say, "And I fell into an eternal darkness." My body slammed into the ground as the Eraser who shot me threw my body into a bag.**

**

* * *

**

**When I woke, I was wearing a bright, white, loose outfit and I felt unnaturally clean, as if I had been dumped in bleach. The smell of antiseptic made my nerves go on end. I should be used to the smell by now, but I was far from it. I knew where I was, instantly. At the School, or somewhere far worse than that place. My back ached with a notifying agony in the exact same spot my wings were. I placed my hand on my back, expecting to feel the soft feathers of my wings. But instead, I felt the horrible truth of parallel healing scars; my wings were gone. I glared out of my cage to see white walls that where covered with shelves that contained cages. Some wher highly distubing, but it didn't matter. I didn't know how long I was gone from the outside world, gone enough to no longer have wings. **

**My vision began to blur. I had lived with my wings on my back my entire life, and now they were gone. I could no longer fly away. Instantly, the tears stopped forming. I gripped the bars of my cage and glared out. I would kill the scientists who caused me this agony. **

**Moments later, a chubby scientist with blond hair strolled in with a woman right behind him. They walked towards me and my non-winged back in my cage. I cast them my special angry glare that makes Mini shudder in fright. Then again, almost anything scares Mini. My Mini.**

**"Is dis, would dis be Omega?" **the man asked the woman, fascinated **.He had an obnoxious German accent and I was already wishing that he would shut his mouth.**

**"Yes Dr. ter Borcht, this is Omega. He's the one you read about in the files that I gave you a couple of months ago," the woman said, peering back at me.**

**"His skills are no longer active?"**

**"Yes, that's correct." The woman continued to stare at me with her cold brown eyes. "Omega," she breathed out in wonder.**

**I scooted to the furthest corner of my cage, away from the people. I would not talk to them, and would not cooperate with their examination.**

**"Dr. ter Borcht, by the looks of it, Omega will need to be knocked out for further examination," the lady told the man as she turned to leave the room. "Release the Nitrous oxide," she ordered when she neared the exit, leaving me to my selfish pity. Ter Borcht followed the woman, closing the door behind him, and moments later an icy gas filled the room. Survival skills kicked in and I burrowed my face into my mega-bleached-out clothes. I breathed in small breaths but of course it didn't work. I smelled the sweet scent of the drug- and then I passed out. Again.**

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* * *

**

**When I woke again, I lay on a cold, hard metal table, my limbs strapped with Velcro to restrain me from any sudden movements. My vision was blurry; a liquid smothered my eyes to prevent me from seeing. Though my vision was unclear, I could feel the searing sensation of a drill working through my body. Not only could I feel, I could hear it. The sound was irrating as it chipped off bone particles from my limbs.**

**I couldn't understand what was going on; I only knew that the pain was tormenting me. Yelling never helped, because they would knock me back out again with the anesthetic. Something itched down into my bones, which seemed heavier than before- denser. I could not figure out why, but between the menacing pain from the core of my flesh and the headache I was receiving, it was a miracle that I was still alive. Momentarily.**

**The whitecoats hurried around my limp body, their tools digging their agonizing way into my skin. Moments later I felt my body being transported from the hospital surgical bed to a tank or chamber-like thing. At first it seemed to be a dark metal hole. But after moments of turning the machine on, the inside became bright surgical chamber, with me inside.**

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* * *

****Three weeks passed. I no longer responded to the simple name, or word, Todd. Instead I became Omega. Yes, it took time to get used to the name adjustment, but when it was my time to stand up and fight against Maximum Ride, my enemy, my rival, as the Director had put it, I was more than ready. My past life was no longer existent. I had forgotten anything and everything related to emotion; it became a simple, useless thing. Emotion simply got in the way. Pain as well.**

**I remembered the pain, the horrible pain that Maximum Ride had once caused me. Did she believe she could defeat me because of my poor eyesight? Absurd. I could see just fine, not _fast_, but enough for me to navigate without tripping over my own two feet. She had smashed my nose in, I remember clearly. The instant flow of blood was overwhelming. Then she attacked me with no mercy. After my loss to Maximum Ride I was sent to go after her. Chase her down and kill her. Her and the rest of her so-called family.**

**I would show no mercy, for once and for all.**

**The company sent me to track her down with the equipment I needed in the black SUV. I had a tracer that was implanted in my skull, so if I ever got into a... difficult situation, back up was sure to be on its way.**


	18. Answers

**Sorry for the delay guys, finals and school things got in the way. Plus my fight didn't help either.... Anyways, this chapter goes back to Max and her flock at the parent's house. So yeah. Hope you like it. XD Schools out now, so I'll get chapters up faster. I hope.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned MR, would I really write about global warming? I don't think so. **

**Max POV**

Having Fang as a heart throb after he said he was Switzerland was anything but supporting. So much for him being my right-winged man. Sometimes, I didn't understand the guy. And occasionally myself. We walked out of Ella and the girls' bedroom swiftly. I shut the door silently and Fang led me downstairs to where Iggy had said Jeb was. Fang didn't touch me, but he looked at me frequently, as if to make sure that I hadn't run away.

"You seem jumpy," he whispered as we walked through the hallway.

I nodded my head before responding. "I'm just nervous. Nothing to worry about." I ended my last sentence with a light shrug. I didn't need Fang to worry about me more than he already did.

"Try to not kill anybody today, alright?" he asked me softly as we continued down the hallway that seemed to never end. I nodded my head once more, quietly. My stomach was filled with butterflies that were high and that are contaminated with Rabies. And that's not a good sign, for sure.

Our feet tapped down the wooden steps softly. We didn't want to hurry up to the next room, but it was treating me like an anxiety attack. It had to be done soon and fast. The staircase was light brown wood. Probably oak. I remember when the flock and Jeb were in the mountains in our home. When Jeb was still good. He told us which kinds of wood were best for burning. And how to burn them. That lesson was Iggy's favorite. Jeb had told us that oak burns easily, and I had made a mental note about that species.

Soon I heard Mini's voice coming from the living room downstairs. Fang and I paused, listening. It was easy to tell that she was heartbroken. Her voice squeaked when she spoke.

"You don't understand, do you? It's like if I even get close to Max you use her Voice to send her some other direction that's totally pointless. I would know. Oh, you know what? Both of my friends ditched me."

Fang and I made our way to the bottom of the stairs safely. The walls were painted with light tones that some would call happy colors. The wood flooring matched the stairs evenly. In the middle of the hall there was a long rug that extend from the front door down to the kitchen door. The two of us shuffled our way into the living room. The change of flooring was wonderful. Instead of the hard flooring, it was lush white carpet. Although feeling the carpet's softness under my shoes was very nice, I knew it was a bad idea for the coloring.

I felt so sorry for my mom. Honestly, if it were my house, I wouldn't have placed _white _carpet on the floor. Maybe some other color, just not white. Because what if somebody spilled orange juice and never cleaned it up, then said that one of the three dogs had peed instead? Someone was going to be in trouble. No matter what.

On the couch, Angel and Gazzy sat to the left of Ella, while Nudge sat on the right side of my half-sister. Iggy had placed himself on a love seat closest to the exit by the fireplace. I, of course, stood about two feet into the living room, with Fang right behind me. Our reflection in the window showed that about half of his body was to the right of me, making it look like he was my backup in a fight, or a bodyguard.

"Do you even care?" Mini asked, her voice breaking once more. Jeb's jaw tightened but he didn't respond. We all watched Mini burst into tears. Jeb stood in front of the fireplace, trying to make himself look like a boss who was needed for attention. Mini on the other hand had sunk down to her knees in front of the coffee table**, **sobbing. For all the times that I have broken down into tears in front of the flock, I have never seen somebody cry so hard in my life.

Clearing my throat to gain attention, I broke in. "What's going on?" I asked the room, my eyes glancing over everyone except Mini. "And…Why are you here?" I glared at Jeb, my hands balled up into white fists. "It's not like you haven't caused enough trouble already," I added furiously. Mini had stopped crying, but it didn't matter now- I was beyond upset.

"I just wanted answers, that's all," snuffled Mini. She ran the back of her hand over her eyes and down her cheeks to wipe her angry tears away. She slowly stood up on thin, shaky legs and walked to the recliner that she had sat in earlier today.

"Hello Max, it's great to see you again," Jeb said pleasantly; or at least in his sad attempt at pleasantry. Well, at least he tried. "I do have answers, Minimum. Just calm down." Mini just snorted and crossed her arms over her chest.

"It's not like I have anything better to do," she claimed in a very sarcastic tone that was thick from her quick and heavy crying. I couldn't stop a smile from flickering on my lips, but it disappeared in nano-seconds.

Jeb smiled at Mini's response as he pulled out a thick Manila folder from the inside of his highly unnecessary coat. It was the middle of June and Jeb was wearing a trench coat. He then pulled out a videocassette from the same pocket. I raised an eyebrow, curious but a bit wary.

"These things are the answers to your questions, Max... and Mini," Jeb said evenly and professionally, as if he had been rehearsing this line for days on no-end. "In this packet, there are some things that you need to see Max. This is your part of saving the world."

I laughed shortly and crossed my arms over my chest. "Whatever, if it helps me complete my mission in life, then lemme see the file of largeness."

"What's the tape for?" asked Nudge carefully. Her brown eyes were wide with curiosity and confusion.

"It's something that Mini needs to see," Jeb replied. He flipped through the file and grabbed about five papers. Walking towards me stiffly, he handed them over. "You may recognize one of them," he said, looking directly in my eyes. Then he handed copies to Mini and she grabbed the pages out of his hand.

I cast down my eyes onto the top paper in my hands. Focusing on the picture in the left hand corner, anger washed through me. The picture was in full out color. It showed a boy about my age with light brown hair and emerald green eyes. He was crouching beside a fire pit trying to get it started inside a small cave. He wore a dull orange baseball cap turned backwards and was smiling, holding a stick in his hand.

Behind me, I could feel Fang's eyes over my shoulder, staring at the picture as well. Angel had jumped off the couch and had grabbed my wrist and lowered it for her blue eyes to see. They widened in fear, and she turned around to go back to her spot on the couch. I guess she had sent a message to the rest of the Flock because Nudge's eyes grew large as well and she gasped loudly. I knew that they knew who this boy was. We all did.

"That's Omega," I growled, just about the same time Mini whispered, "Todd."

"How the hell did you get this picture?" Mini screamed suddenly. She jumped off the recliner and shoved the picture in Jeb's face. "I took this picture of Todd, three days before he ditched Becky and me." She took in a deep breath of air but didn't say anything else.

"You left the camera in the cave. We didn't think you wanted it." Jeb spoke with an attempted calm, but his voice was shaky.

"This is Omega, I've fought this guy before," I told Mini in confusion. What were they talking about? Who was Todd anyway? Omega? She turned around, fury covering her face.

"You know what, Max? That guy in the photo is the same guy who chased me down for over four hundred miles, shooting at me. Don't tell me he's some other guy. 'Cause he isn't. I lived with him for over four years!" Her anger was like something alive, and with every word she said the room seemed to shake.

Blinking my eyes a few times, I managed to nod my head to agree with her, attempting to stop her flow of angry words. "Okay, so you lived with the guy, I fought him. And won, for the record. You just managed to run away from him."

"Actually, Todd is Omega," Jeb said with a raised voice. "We caught him two hours after he flew away from Mini and her friend, Becky. A week later, the scientists in Germany managed to reprogram him. And he is now Omega."

And that was only the beginning.

Mini snorted. "Todd couldn't take care of himself, even of he tried." As she spoke her arms crossed over her chest in a quick flow. "It doesn't explain why he was trying to kill me. He knows me," she whispered angrily. She outlined the words of something, but I didn't have time to try to comprehend what she was saying in her silent voice.

"Omega is programmed to kill Max," Jeb spoke once more before explaining. "You must have triggered his alert system. Looking like your sister- it flawed his system. He was meant to only track down Max." He looked directly at Mini.

It was my time to snort in response. "Omega has a lot of design flaws."

Mini placed a half grin-smile thing on her lips. "Yeah, Todd couldn't see too well, his vision was kind of shaky sometimes." She laughed full-heartedly, "He couldn't track me down if I moved too fast when we escaped; it drove him crazy."

Back to business. "So, why are you showing me Omega-slash-Todd, Jeb?" I asked him as I flapped the files in my hand and set them down on the coffee table in front of the kids. Gazzy's fingers were twitching; he was most likely restraining himself from picking up the files and sifting through them, like he was taught to do.

"He needs to be destroyed. The same goes for Becky Black," Jeb said in a cold voice. "If you haven't noticed, Omega wants to kill you, and you only. And if he sees both of you, Max and Mini, he will do everything in his power to have you guys expired. It's in his programming."

Mini shrieked. "Why does Becky have to be killed? She doesn't even know Max exists! Let her alone, she has nothing to do with this!"

"It would help if you continued on with the papers that I gave you," Jeb replied in a steady voice, trying to not freak out. Beads of sweat were boiling up on the top of his forehead. He couldn't handle both Mini and me at once. I grinned as I picked up my papers from under Gazzy's nosey fingers.

I flipped Omega's pages over to reveal Becky's, whoever she was. I didn't recognize her at first, but when I studied the picture, I realized that I knew her, from back at the School in Death Valley. We used to be fighting mates. I always won. Sure she was the first Human-Avian, but she was flawed. You could tell off the bat that she was and still is. She had that glare that would stop your heart beating. The voice of a revenger and the walk of a killer. Her mutation was the same as all of us, my flock I mean. But Becky was just plain crazy and...wild.

As I stared at the picture of Becky, I noticed that she was leaning against a wall of the same cave that Omega was pictured in. Her hair was straight pitch black and her bangs fell over her purple eyes. Becky's expression seemed blank at first, but like I said before. I had to really search for memories and expressions. Becky's eyes seemed somewhat sad, but angry at the same time. They were kind of glaring, but without that evil chill. Her lips were parted into a smile that was totally fake. It reminded me of those days when the whitecoats would tell us to smile, they said we loved it here. Only her position in the picture reminded me of Fang in a way. Her legs were spread out, with her hands in between. She was fiddling with a silver gun, smaller than the remote controller for Mom's TV. Surrounding the sandy flooring around Becky were assorted knives. I felt chills go up my spine.

And I thought, _"My twin sister was actually hanging around with these creeps."_

Jeb nodded his head and held the tape in his other hand, changing the topic. "Like I said before Minimum, you have to see the tape to fully understand."

**Wooeee. Man, long chapter. You guys deserve better than this. So I started the chapter 20 already. XD I hope you guys liked it, I'm extremely sorry for very long wait. And if you're looking for other stories, I have another that is started on a pretty good start. Its called Innocent in the Day, Deadly by Night. It has the violent Becky in a whole new twist. I hope you guys would like it. Anyway, Review please. I'm not begging. It's just a reminder. ;P**


	19. Night's Resembalance

**Hey guys, it's a new chapter. I hope you like this one. It switches off from Night's POV to Mini then Max's POV. So it'll be a decent length. Hope you like it. We finally made it to 80 reviews! It took a while, but we made it. Thank you all!**

**Night POV **

Night flew to the building that she considered home. She was careful; no one would see her. Her form was a dark speck in the New York City skies. Night made sure that no one was watching her as she flew closer to the building. Hardly anyone ever did, and that was their mistake. Night slipped through the window that she had left open and collapsed on her pile of softness. It was basically a worn out junkie mattress with fifteen pillows and thick heavy blankets. She loved her nest.

It was the one place she could call home. She had nothing to live on, so Night stole food that didn't need to be refrigerated and showered in people's homes when they left for work. Call her a creeper, but that was her lifestyle. It was very self centered and very careful, but it kept her alive. Her weapons were scattered about the small room, hidden in places where only she could find them.

Night rolled off her nest and onto the wooden floor slowly. The morning light was pouring into the small room, which was locked up in every place imaginable. Boards covered the walls to keep everything unwanted out and everything needed in. The really wasn't all that big. Maybe a ten feet in almost every direction. It was once a small office, for the the beaten and ancient looking desk on the farthest wall that held informational papers from the School. The room only had on window and she baracaded the door with furniture from the other rooms. Precautionary. Other besides that, the room was fairly dark and musty.

Night got up to her knees and pulled off her small backpack, laying it gently against her nest. She climbed to her feet slowly, saving energy that was needed for later, and walked over to the window. Night's wings were stretched out a bit to cool them off from her flight. She heard voices from down below yelling- probably a gang. Night raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

She watched the scene below grow into a fight. It started out with fists, and then someone brought in weapons. The situation changed dramatically. With a couple gunshots the humans dropped dead. Even though the fight was calling her name, wanting her to go join and play as the champion killer, she decided to play it safe. She didn't feel like dying today. Night moved the board over the window and walked back to her nest, exhausted.

Night had been awake since six-thirty last night; it was now eight-forty in the morning. Being nocturnal had its up and its downs. Night lay in her nest and relaxed her tense muscles, covering herself with the blankets. She closed her eyes, trying not to think of how starving she was. She had eaten the last of her food last night before her mission for extra energy, and now she was out of food _and _energy. She had fallen asleep before on a low gas tank, but that was weeks ago. Her life was completely changed now. She no longer needed to hop around the world; instead she could come to her nest and relax- while staying alive.

As Night's world began to drift off to sleep, she heard more shouting and gunshots. People were screaming and she grinned- it was her type of lullaby. And she was already planning for the next night to come.

**Max POV**

Jeb held the tape in his hand as if all the answers lay there. _Yeah right_, I thought in disgust. "Just show us the tape already," I commanded angrily. I was tired of fooling around now. Jeb frowned, but he nodded his head and placed it in the VCR player. The flock, Ella, Mini, and my mom waited for the tape to be played. Fang led me to the love seat next to Iggy, and the three of us squeezed in to sit as the tape began to play. The video began fuzzy, but it started to get clearer.

A girl appeared on the screen, and I had to tell myself that the girl wasn't Becky, but it was. I think it was the fact that she was a fellow member of the School, an expirement, and I knew her. I understand people goty angry, but becoming a murderer was something totally different. Mini stared at the screen as if her life was on the line, but hey, it was her best friend, so I'm giving her some slack. 'Cause if it was Fang instead of Becky, I'd be doing the same thing.

As Becky spoke to the camera, I began to notice that she looked familiar to me somehow. Her eyes held a hard glare that I had seen hundreds of times, and even on the screen there was something that rang a bell in my head about the way her dark black hair held shimmers of purple in the moonlight. As the video continued with Becky's speech. " At this rate you should all be scared out of your pants. So hold on to them tight because I'm gonna tell you, you may get new security alarms. This man has a family, has a life, and helped create me." Night showed the camera her wings and made them spread to their extent. " Yes people I have wings because this man and a hundred million others have sick twisted minds. But mine is probably more sick and twisted. Should I care? Do I care? And the answer is no. I honestly don't care, and hate to break it to you, but I never really will. "

Another scene came up. Becky was with a man that I recognized from back at the School, Dr. Haufler. He was very cruel to us experiments, and he was hated by all, even his co-workers. You couldn't see much, except Dr. Haufler's torso and up. He was laying on the ground.

Becky and the scientist spoke a little bit.

" Say hi for the camera." Night smiled as the scientist struggled to get up. But Night placed a heavy boot on his stomach.

" Let. Me. Go." The scientist ordered. But Night didn't move a muscle for taking her boot from him. Instead she pressed harder onto his stomach. He groaned, not knowing that he was being recorded.

" So, why do you think your... in this position?" Night asked as she moved the camera over to his face. The scientist tried to squirm from under her foothold, but failed miserably.

" I'd rather die." He spat towards her.

" Not yet, but you'd be dead before the sun rises over the horizon." declared Night

Suddenly Becky shot forward and plunged a knife into the scientist's throat. Then three rounds of bullets went through the air, and Dr. Haulfer died. The video ended, the screen turning blue. The room was silent. Then Gazzy cheered. "She's my new hero!" Nobody said anything Although Nuidge gave him a dissapointed look. Nobody really knew what to say. Except for Jeb, he came prepared.

He cleared his throat before speaking. "This is the reason why you must destroy Becky, Max." As he spoke Angel raised her small, skinny arm in the air. "Uh, yes, Angel?" Jeb said.

"Why does Becky look like Fang?" she asked innocently, her wide blue eyes sparkling with curiosity.

Ah! _That_ was it. That's why Becky had looked familiar- she looked like _Fang._

Jeb was flustered for a moment before speaking. He grabbed Becky's file and flipped through a part of it before speaking. "That's because they're ah…cousins, Angel." Fang stiffened next to me. I knew how he felt; finding that someone was related to you, but you didn't really want to know about it.

"This is so fantabulous " Nudge blurted out. "Jeb, is there anybody that's related to me?" Deep inside I was secretly wishing there wasn't a second Nudge, or anyone who was biologically related to her. Not scientifically.

"Er... I don't think so. I'm sorry Nudge," Jeb responded, sounding slightly disappointed.

"Oh... Okay," Nudge replied, sounding bummed out. "Hey Max, is it okay if Ella, Angel, and I check out our room more?" she asked, her previous mood changed dramatically in seconds.

"Nah, go right ahead. Just be careful," I told her. I was rewarded with a few nods and thank yous and the trio disappeared up the staircase. That just left the guys, Mini, and me. Stuck in the same room with the worst father ever. My mom had left during the video, her excuse being that she had to let the dogs out.

"How is she my cousin?" Fang asked in a strained voice. "And why does Max have to... kill her?"

"She is your cousin biologically," Jeb responded. "Her father and your mother are brother and sister. Max must kill her because that's part of her mission."

That's when I stood up. "Oh no, Jeb. Do not pull that "it's my mission" card. Got it? I don't want to kill her. I don't want to prove to her that I'm the best!" I shouted at him. In all the chaos, I tried not to notice Mini start to whimper, her water works beginning to act up again. Nobody could really help her. And I felt really sorry for that. "And another thing. You can't tell Fang that he has a cousin until you prove to me that Mini and I are twins!" I shouted at him angrily. Jeb just nodded.

"Calm down Maximum," he said. "You two have been twins since the day you were technically born," Jeb said softly. He looked at me directly as he spoke. "You were connected at the head, and frankly, it was a pain in the ass to separate you guys successfully." My jaw dropped. I knew my skull was flat by my ear left , but I had never known why. Not until now. Shocked, I saw Mini reach up and touch her head by her right ear.

So, we were sisters. Blood related. Twins. Then why did I feel so much hate towards her? Yet, at the same time, it felt so wrong to hate her. She was only human after all. To an extent, at least.

**Mini POV**

Well, I can in one word express how my day was: Suckish. It was bad waking up this morning with a headache, in the arms some guy that I had never met before. Even though he was blind and totally hot, I wished they had just left me in that house from last night. Then we get to my mom's house, which was just fantastic because not only did I find that my twin sister hates me, I was also rewarded with having a half-sister who hates me too. And I don't even know what I did.

I just wanted answers with no lies or topic changes. But whenever I turn around I get a lie thrown in my face. I get teased and made fun of. Hated for something for which I do not deserve the blame.

And sometimes I just wish that I were someone else. Some random girl who goes to school with no wings or abilities. Well, there's a fat chance of that happening.

I stared at the carpet as Jeb spoke about us being related. I hated it how he described our physical bond. I just couldn't see how Max still refused to accept the fact that she has a twin sister, and that's me. I brought my knees up to my chest as the conversation went on to Becky.

Why did Becky need to be destroyed? Killed? Yeah, she was a killer herself, but she was only doing what she was made to do. Becky told me about her plans of helping the world. Killing off science. I agree, it's totally impossible, but she's only killing whitecoats that helped create who she is. So, in a sick, twisted way, I guess Becky is only returning the favor.

"Is there a shower open?" I asked out loud after a few moments. Iggy's sightless eyes met mine before I turned away from him.

"Yeah, you can use the shower before me," Max said softly, reading my hurt expression. Nodding my head I picked myself off the floor and walked upstairs for the shower, leaving Max, Fang, and Iggy with the father that left me behind.

Later I'll try to find my room.


	20. A New Love BD

**This next chapter is going to be less depressing, I'm done with the depressing chapters. Until they are needed once more. Bon appetite. :D**

Mini's POV

After I left the rest of Max's flock and our dad in the living room, I climbed the stairs in search of the bathroom. A few minutes later Nudge found me wandering from door to door and she helped me find the right entrance, the last door of six, located on the right side of the hallway. I thanked Nudge as I entered the room, closing the door behind me.

My eyes stared at the objects that sat in front of me. On my left hand side there was a long counter with two sinks that were ten inches away from each other. A mirror stretched across the counter that met the ceiling and the corner of the wall- a full-length body mirror. All four walls were beige. On my right was a pale blue toilet against the wall, and following the toilet was a bathtub that held a shower head inside. I walked to the shower and ran my hand against the light blue shower curtain.

I threw the shower curtain back and grabbed the knob for the water temperature, pressing a long silver button that caused the shower head to spout warm water. A grin spread across my face and I temporarily forgot about the past hour with everybody in the living room and its happenings.

About an hour later I was clean. Sparkling clean. The kind of clean when you lose your dirt tan. Your skin is soft but not yet dry. And honestly, it felt great. I couldn't remember the last time I took a shower, or got clean, period. I left the shower and put my clothes back on, my hair dripping down my back and onto my eagle-like wings.

I walked back towards the entrance of the bathroom, feeling considerably happy, altogether. It was hot and foggy, and frankly, I loved it. I walked to the door that led to the hallway, reached for the knob, and turned it. When the door swung open, Angel was on the other side, shifting her weight on each foot as she played with a strand of long blond hair.

"Uh... Hi," I said, startled by the sight. _Why is Angel here?_

"Hi, Mini," Angel greeted with an innocent smile. "I was just gonna tell you that everything is gonna be okay. And to not worry." She turned and walked down the hallway, and I trailed her. We stopped at another door.

"Thanks for saying that, Angel. It means a lot to me," I replied to her, and gave her a thankful hug. Why not? She was only a kid, and kids deserve hugs.

"You're welcome, and this is your bedroom door. Max is already in there," Angel said. She skipped down the hallway to the stairs, disappearing as she went down to the main floor.

"Silly child," I muttered under my breath with a slight grin as I entered the bedroom that Max and I would be sharing.

Max jumped from her bed, which sat against the left-hand wall. She walked over to me, wearing red duct tape around her wrist. I took a step into the room and closed the door behind me smoothly.

"So, what's the tape for?" I asked calmly. I walked over to the lime green bed, in the opposite direction of Max's. Hers was a forest green with dark brown pillows.

"For separating us," she said with a slightly evil grin as she stretched the red duct tape six inches out and smoothed it on the fluffy, light-brown carpet. As Max rolled the tape out onto the floor diagonally, I stood in shock.

"The side you're on, is your side. I won't pass the duct tape line to your side if you do the same for me. So, don't pass this line to get to my side of the room, " Max claimed after she was done separating us with the duct tape.

I sank down onto the foot of my bed, nodding my head. "But why?" I pleaded; I didn't understand why she was doing this. It came down to all those years of being separated by scientists, but now Max was separating us by her own choice. This wasn't supposed to happen.

"Because... I'm still not sure what to do with you," she replied quietly, and she turned and left the room, leaving me by myself.

I grumbled cuss words under my breath; Angel wasn't right about 'everything is going to be okay.' Cause it wasn't.

I stood up and walked over to a dresser that was near my bed. I changed my raggedy jeans to pale blue ones that only had holes at the knees and my t-shirt to a black under shirt with a burgundy tank top over it.

I left the room, making a point of crossing the red duct tape line, feeling like a rebel. In my goal of getting lost inside the house I went downstairs, to the basement. When I reached the basement door I grinned. Nobody would be able to find me here. I didn't even know if I would be able to find my way out either.

I walked down the half part of the stairs in the dark and onto the landing. I turned left to go down the other half flight of stairs, but instead I managed to slam my whole body into something solid, something that was pure muscle and flesh.

We should have tumbled down the stairs, but instead, Iggy's pale left hand grabbed mine as his other hand grabbed the landing rail, stopping the velocity and motion of our fall.

"Wow," I mumbled as I sat down on the landing, my feet on the steps.

"You have no idea," Iggy mumbled, taking a seat next to me, looking dazed. After a moment of awkward silence, we started laughing quietly to ourselves. Our conversation began awkwardly, and I wasn't quite sure why it felt so weird until I realized that the entire time we'd been talking, Iggy hadn't once looked directly at me. It made me upset for a moment, but I forgot about it when he asked me why I had ended up in the basement in the first place.

My response: "To get lost." I muttered the words under my breath, slightly embarrassed.

"Why?" he asked carefully, his pale fingers brushing over the tips of mine, making them tingle.

"Cause... I felt like it," I said evasively, standing up. I saw a light switch and flicked it on- the basement lit up like a burst of sunlight. "Besides, I haven't checked out the basement yet."

Iggy stood up as well, towering over me. "Well, how about you show me around," he offered, grinning in the most adorable way ever.

"But…you've been down here plenty of times before, right? Haven't you already seen it?" I asked, confused.

"It's a bit hard to see when your blind," Iggy said, instantly clearing up a lot of my previous confusion. My jaw dropped. I hadn't been expecting anything like that. No wonder why he seemed so perfect, in my eyes.

"I dont know what to say," I whispered as I walked down the stairs, Iggy following me. When I looked over my shoulder at him, Iggy seemed kind of bummed. I bit my lower lip, feeling bad. I turned my head around, looking for a distraction. I took another step and peered my head around a corner.

It was perfect- a brand new punching bag. I grinned. "Hey Iggy. I'm curious; for a blind guy, you must be a good fighter, right?" I asked him as I turned around, making my voice persuasive. It worked. Iggy strode over towards me and placed a hand on my shoulder, grinning.

"I'm the best blind fighter that you'll ever meet," he said proudly, looking ahead at the wall. I stifled a giggle as we walked over to the punching bag. I led Iggy to his side of the red bag, and then walked over to mine.

"Alrighty, uhm..I'll ki-" I stuttered, but was quickly cut off as Iggy spun to attack the punching bag with a roundhouse kick, and of course I was on the other side of it. The bag swung swiftly and slammed into me, throwing me back a few feet. Using my fist, I wiped the right side of my jaw and stood up.

"How's that for a blind guy?" Iggy asked smoothly, leaning against a nearby wall, his arms crossed against his chest and his hair flopped over his eyes. I looked away before I started to drool.

"You're decent," I grumbled. I walked back to the bag, Iggy doing the same. I took my usual fighting stance and waited for Iggy to take his. But instead he merely stood there, hands in his pockets. What the heck? "Aren't you going to get in a stance or something?" I asked carefully. Iggy shrugged his shoulders and smirked.

"With the way you fight, I don't have to," he said. My face flamed red hot, not only from the embarrassment of being insulted by a blind guy who was at least six inches taller than me, but from actually liking it. I grumbled a few choice words and took a couple steps back. "Are you okay, Mini?" Iggy asked softly, realizing his mistake. His sightless eyes got all soft around the edges and it looked just so darn sweet.

"Hmmnhmghh," I muttered. "I suggest you back up." I raised my hands in the air. Iggy took a half step back, still in his lanky position, hands in pockets, yawning. I threw my hands at the ground, putting as much force and effort into my front handspring as I could. Once my feet where in the air, using my strength, I shot myself directly at the punching bag, nearly flying without wings.

The punching bag swung at Iggy, but he easily dodged it, sidestepping to the left. I landed, crouching, in time for my fighting partner to punch the bag with a very strong force.

This went on for an endless amount of time, our punches and kicks speeding up and then slowing down as we grew tired. Even though Iggy was barely breathing hard at all, I was struggling for breath. It amazed me how I could run for miles without a problem, but when it came to fighting, I was having a lung attack.

I sat down on the carpet, my head between my knees. I wrapped my arms around my knees and steadied my breathing rate. I didn't even register the fact that Iggy was sitting next to me until he spoke up.

"I have to admit, fighting against the Queen's twin sister was a lot more fun than I expected," he said as he stretched out his long legs. I laughed stiffly, closing my eyes.

_This is horrible_, I thought to myself sadly. _I'm falling for somebody who is practically off limits because I was still technically 'grounded' from Max. _

"So you're saying that you thought I was a boring person?" I asked him, turning my head to peek out at Iggy, who was 'looking' down at me.

"I never said," he replied defensively, sounding hurt.

_Oh really,_ I thought, rolling my eyes. "Then what did you mean?" I asked, sitting up fully so that I could meet his stare, even though it was technically pointless. I guess it's a habit to look at somebody when you're arguing with them.

"What I mean is that...you seemed upset earlier. So I expected you to be upset all day," Iggy explained, choosing his words carefully. He sounded so sincere that it urged me to pet his strawberry blond head and say to him, "Good boy, have a cookie," but I didn't. Maybe after a few weeks, when we were good friends, or maybe something more.

Like I could even plan that far ahead. I didn't know if I was even allowed to stay with them at all.

"Eh. You have a point," I said, rolling my head from side to side, listening to all the little bones in my neck pop. I glanced sideways at Iggy, who was smiling, as if my neck popping amused him. "Getting a kick outta my neck popping skills?" I asked him broadly. Our past conversation seemed to have already faded into the distance.

Iggy's sightless eyes stared back at my eyebrows (okay, so he was pretty dang close to my eyes) and he grinned. "Actually, I can hear your bones move around in your neck. If you ask me, I think it's hilarious."

I didn't register the act that Iggy seemed to lean closer. I should be expierneced enough to know when sombody is going to kiss you. I blame Todd.

Then agian... why am I thinking of Todd when Iggy is right here, right now... kissing me? Of all people.


	21. Discussion

**Woo, A chapter after awhile. I have no good excuses to tell. 'cept I got homework for hated teachers and chores that are screeching at me. Please enjoy this chapter that is overdue. Its in Max's Pov.**

**-S**

After finalizing my act of separation by means of duct tape, I left Mini in the bedroom that we were supposed to be "sharing". Closing the door behind me, I leaned against it, sighing. _Why am I so mean to her?_ I asked myself as I started walking down the wide hallway to the stairs. I had to return Iggy's duct tape, and plus, I really wanted to talk to Fang.

_Maybe it's because you don't want to believe the facts that are right in front of your nose_, the Voice chimed in. I could already feel its presence giving me a headache. I groaned as I took the stairs two at a time.

_Thanks, but no thanks_. Y_our fortune cookie crap is downright unhelpful,_ I told the Voice, practically sneering inside my head. Rolling my eyes, I added, _Why don't you go inside Mini's head, since we're sisters and all?  
Think about it Max. I'm already there, _it said, and then disappeared from my head. I groaned, more clues and hints that I had to figure out.

Shaking my brain bucket I continued down the stairs. Landing on the main floor, I could hear the TV on in the living room. The flock's favorite place to be- in front of a television.  
I walked to the doorway. Angel was petting a sleeping Total on the couch. Akila was giving Gazzy a bath by licking his right arm, thinking it was a salt lick or something. Both the Gasman and Akila sat on the floor, a few feet away from the TV. Nudge sat in the same recliner Mini had sat in earlier, brushing Ella's dark brown hair. Magnolia was lying under the coffee table, snoring. What a perfect family scene. I thought, Subtracting the talking dog and wings floatin' around. It'd look normal to the strangest stranger.

Angel turned in my direction, smiling. "Hi Max! We're watching Bones. It's so cool. Wanna watch it with us?" she offered, her bright blue eyes lighting up as I entered the room. I slid the duct tape over my hand, wearing it like a bracelet.  
"Negative," I answered, smiling. "I have to get this tape back to Ig, and talk to Fang for a bit." Ella turned her head, smiling in a way that suggested she thought I was going to go rape him or something. "It's flock leader stuff, Ella. Don't even think about it," I told her, crossing my arms over my chest. She turned back around, laughing. I focused my attention to Gazzy, whom Akila was still licking.  
"Gaz, you doing okay?" I ask, worried. He hadn't said anything since I had walked in the room. He shrugged his shoulders and pushed Akila away.  
"Damn dog, won't stop licking me," he muttered angrily, wiping away slobber with his shirt's sleeve. Soon after he casted a glare towards Akila, that was pretty much pointless because she got up to go to the kitchen.

I sat down next to him and got a shock when I looked at his face. His familiar features, blue eyes, ash blond hair, were gone. Poof. Instead he had dark brown eyes that replaced his bright blue ones. His hair grew darker even as I watched.  
It only took me a moment of panic before I realized that Gazzy had a new skill: he could shape-shift! Smiling, I ruffled his clean, temporarily dark-brown hair.  
"Pretty nifty skill you got there," I said to him. He grinned in response, his previous angry expression was gone from the the compliment.  
"Yeah, it's really cool. I'm happy that I got my second skill."  
"Maybe I can teach you to read minds!" Angel offered, bouncing in her seat with excitement. Gazzy shook his head, declining her offer.  
"I'm pretty sure I can't do anything that's 'physic.' I'm more of a copier, I think," Gazzy said, tilting his head to the side in thought. I ruffled his hair one more time before standing up.  
"Well, when you think of a good name for it, you know where to find me," I said as I left the room, heading for the basement. I took the stairs two at a time, anxious to see Fang again. Even though had only been thirty minutes since I'd last seen him, tops. I knocked on his bedroom door once and listened to the sound of grunting noises. Shaking my head, I turned the door handle and entered the room.  
It was dark. The walls were painted a dark brown, the flooring a shaggy sandy color. Two beds were placed against opposite walls, Fang's on the right, Iggy's on the left. Both boys were face-down into their pillows, snoring. Fang's arm hung off his bed, while Iggy had fallen off his bed so much that he was practically sleeping on the floor. Shaking my head, I turned on the light and watched Fang jump out of his skin.  
"Holy-(bleep)! Max?" Fang yelped, waking instantly and jumping to his feet. Iggy merely groaned and fell off his bed to the floor with a _thunk_. I smothered a laugh and leaned against the wall.  
"Yes, dear one?" I asked, batting my lashes mockingly. Fang was alert almost immediately. "Ig-pie. Heads up." I tossed him his duct tape and he caught it with perfect accuracy.

"Now that I'm up," said Iggy, standing and stretching, "I've got to go, er, tell Gazzy something." He set the tape on his bed and headed for the door. "It's _top secret_," he added with finger quotations, and closed the door behind him.

"Yeah, sure," I muttered, rolling my eyes.  
I took a seat next to Fang on his bed as he pulled out his whacked-out laptop. "What's up?" he asked; he could see how badly I had wanted to speak to him alone.  
"It's about the meeting we had earlier," I told him, biting my lower lip nervously. Fang pulled up his blog on the laptop. I didn't bother to watch what he was doing, too busy with the kangaroos jumping around inside of me.

"Kay, what about it?" he asked bluntly, typing away, his dark eyes glued to his computer screen. I held back frustration and the urge to shove his computer off his lap. Didn't I deserve his full attention? I sighed.

"'S about Mini…being my sister," I muttered, looking at my hands. I felt a light touch on my shoulder. I supposed he was patting my shoulder, but I didn't turn my head.  
Fang took a breath. "I really hate to be the one who tells you this. But, Max, Mini _is_ your sister. Everyone can see it. _You _can see it. But you're acting like you need enough proof that your brain will explode with information." Huh. It seemed that this was one of those rare times when Fang gave me a lecture. "I still think you should give 'er a chance." I nodded my head. Suddenly I heard laughter from somewhere outside the room. It was Iggy, I noted, and somebody else. Wait was that Mini's laugh? I swallowed thickly. I hated this, hardly knowing anything about her.  
I blocked out the laughter.

"Okay, but what about the Voice? It said it was in Mini's head as well." I fell back so that my upper body was lying on Fang's bed, my feet dangling above the floor. He continued to type, not saying anything for a while. _He's thinking it over,_ I assumed. Soon enough, he clicked a button, closed his blog and then the laptop. He slid the computer under his pillow and looked at me.  
"Then the Voice is in her head," he said simply. Groaning in defeat, I knew that he was right. Somehow, some way, I sort of wished that I had the guts to go up and talk to her.  
_Then go ahead Max. She's on the other side of that wall. Waiting._ I'm pretty sure I jumped about a foot off Fang's bed.  
"Voice?" Fang asked with a raised eyebrow. I nodded my head stiffly.  
"Damn Voice," I muttered, sitting up, eyebrows furrowed. _What am I gonna do with you? Poke you with a freaking Q-tip?  
_"What did it say?" questioned Fang.  
"Said that if I wanted to talk to Minimum, she's right there waiting," I responded, rubbing my temples. " How's your blog?" I abruptly changed the subject, looking at him through the corners of my eyes.  
"Eh...I cancelled it," he said, smirking. I blinked in shock. It was one of the last things that I ever expected for Fang to ever do.  
"_What_?"  
"Yeah, I told all my billions of fans that I'm actually an old woman in Oklahoma, bored out of her mind."

"So, we're invisible again?" I asked hopefully, somehow feeling satisfaction out of this current event.  
"That's what I'm thinking," Fang whispered, staring contemplatively at the opposite wall. It must've been awhile, us just sitting there thinking on Fang's bed, staring at the bedroom wall.  
"It must suck to be you," I told Fang jokingly after a while of silence. I stood up to stretch. "Just being quiet and all, it can be a real drag." But in reality, I was secretly glad that I could have a slightly normal conversation with Fang and just be around him, us spending time together without argument or interruption. I was glad that I hadn't needed to run away


	22. They Found Us

**Ahh, Thanksgiving Break. Break. A break from school. Time to write up some awesomeness. XD**

Omega stared out through his binoculars, one hundred feet away. With his amazing new eyesight and the strength of the binoculars, Omega had the perfect view to watch, no, _stalk _his prey. Seven human-avian hybrids, three humans, and three dogs. The six non-flyers were lounging around, talking with their winged friends. Omega snarled in disapproval. How could the humans even stand those winged cretins? They lie and cheat thier way to get what they want. Sneaky and devious. The list goes on and on. Not only that, but they were also tall and skinny, yet under their skin was raw muscle. Muscle that could knock out a brick wall, with only some slight throbbing in the arm, wrist, and possibly the knuckles.

Yes, Omega had once been like the seven human-avians. But after all the pain and suffering he had gone through, both mentally and physically, he knew now that he was better than all of them thrown together into one body. His boss wanted all thirteen of the living _things_ dead as soon as possible_._ Omega couldn't help the icy shiver that ran down his spine. He would finally get his revenge on Maximum Ride and her twin sister, Minimum.

Surprisingly, it was extremely difficult to keep his eyes off the girl he had once loved and cared for. She seemed changed, somehow. She appeared smarter, wiser, more _everything. _She walked with a ballerina's grace. Flew like a dove, fought like a savage. Her hair was thick, wavy, and golden-brown. Her brown eyes meant business when casting a glare. No wonder Dr. Batchedler had kept her at the School. No wonder she was born for back up. If Max ever failed to save the world, Mini would step up to the plate. Even if she didn't want to.

But as Omega kept staring, watching her lips move when she spoke, he felt angry that she wasn't with him. She hand was entwined with that of the tallest male. He was blind, a defect. How could someone so perfect fall in love with a…a mistake? It was completely absurd. Omega's pale gray eyes grew in horror as he watched his ex-girlfriend walk swiftly away with her blind boyfriend. He kept a perfect view on them. The couple ran into the woods, stopping once under the cover of the trees. Omega's breath was frozen; he couldn't breathe.

Minimum had wrapped her fair freckled arms around her blind lover's neck, as his pale arms held her close. Their lips connected.

Omega had to look away. He threw the binoculars off his face. Complete rage was in control of his emotions. It took several minutes and much energy to calm down. He couldn't kill her yet. Not quite yet. But he could taste her death on his lips. He licked them greedily, remembering her warm breath on his. That was a long time ago. Months ago, if he remembered correctly. Several months ago.

He cursed as he punched a pine tree. The impact did not harm Omega. Instead the tree cracked, a million pieces of fiber and bark breaking apart and raining on the ground. Omega did not care. He reached for his binoculars and looked for Mini. He found her almost instantly. She was still kissing her boyfriend with more passion and love than Omega had ever received from her. It was unfair. Unjust. Completely wrong.

Omega wanted her blood on his hands. He felt the strong desire to march over to the pair of them and wring Mini's boyfriend's neck until it snapped. Then he would grab Mini by the wrist and snap that, too. He would destroy her. Break her into a thousand pieces, but then he would walk away and let her die alone in a pool of her own blood.

Omega smirked, evil written across his face. He had a plan. Yes, it was insanely flawed. But he did not care whatsoever. His mind raced when he thought of Max. He needed his revenge on her, too. It no longer was a want, but a need. A crazy need. But it had to be done. Omega pressed a small button on his earpiece and spoke with a deadly calm voice.

"Kaniera, get the camp ready. We are attacking the targets tomorrow."

Kaniera was unlike the average Eraser. She was not human-lupin; instead she was human-felix. Part lion. She was athletically built with hard muscles that were not hidden. Her body was covered lightly with golden peach fuzz, while her head had thick hair that was golden brown and extremely untidy. She had a tail for balance: five feet long and a complete a pain in the ass if she ever used it as a whip.

Omega walked back to camp, thirty miles away, stalking into the dense autumn forest.

* * *

It had to have been about three weeks since we had arrived about my mom's house. I thought about it as I lay on my bed. It had not taken long to adjust to the homey ways that the flock and I were not used to. Showers daily; it was amazing to be constantly clean. Food. Gosh, the idea of eating was still exciting. On the run, it was hard to get all the calories that we needed. But here, safe in our mountain home, we could all eat and just not care.

But because I was the leader, I did care. I had to worry. Constant paranoia of what might happen next filled my head. Thoughts jumped into my mind at any spare moment. _Had somebody found us? Did Itex know where we were? They're coming. They're gonna kill us. Capture us. Take us back to the School._ I had to rub my temples to keep my thoughts down from panicked shouts to a calm roar. I knew that we were going to have to leave soon. We had spent too much time in one spot and I was beginning to feel that we weren't going to be safe here much longer.

I stared at the popcorn ceiling, wondering if I could make any happy images out of the patterns. I concentrated as I mentally connected the dots. Eventually, I made a picture of a hippo. Grinning, I sat up and looked around. All day yesterday everybody hung out outside. We had a picnic sort of thing. Real cute and all. Iggy grilled up some burgers and hot dogs, but after Mini convinced him to go flying, he got Jeb to take over. Even from my height a thousand feet in the air, I could see Jeb close his computer and put his files away before he took the metal spatula from Iggy.

For the first time, I watched Mini fly yesterday. It wasn't all that graceful. Kind of reminded me of Ari when he flew up to us in the California desert, before the flock split up. Just the slightest thought of that time tugged my heart at the corners.

Glancing over towards Mini's lime green bed, I noted the human-sized lump under the blanket's covers. Forcing myself out of my cozy, warm bed, I pushed my own blankets off and stretched. I glanced down at the wristwatch that Jeb had given me. It was his 'I'm sorry I screwed up your life' present. Frankly, there weren't enough gifts in the world to fix all of the times my life had smashed to rock bottom because of him. It would be my pleasure to wring his neck until blue colored his lips.

Eight-sixteen, read the wristwatch. Yawning, I stood up and walked over to Mini's bed to wake her up. The red duct tape that I had laid down the first day we were here had been ripped off the carpet last week. I had gained somewhat of enough trust towards Mini to know that she wasn't going to kill us. Now that I knew her a bit more, I knew that it wasn't like her to be violent at all. Sneaky, yes. Violent, eh, not so much.

I placed my hand on her shoulder; at least what I assumed was her shoulder in the pile lime green blankets. I shook it. "Mini, get up or the rabid bunnies will eat you," I whispered in a menacing voice, grinning the entire time. My twin's body sprang up, pillows flying off the bed and onto the floor.

"If they come in here, I'll beat them all with your foot," she threatened, looking like an animal herself. Possibly Medusa, just not with the snakes for locks of hair. I blinked and stepped back.

"You okay?" I asked her, watching her crawl out of bed. She walked to her dresser and started to brush her tangled, messy hair.

"I had a bad dream last night," she told me curtly, turning. Her face showed her fear, and I felt a wave of apprehension as I remembered her telling me on the second day we got here that her dreams could sometimes predict the future.

"Wanna tell me about it?" I asked her as I walked back to my bed, smoothing out the covers up to my pillows. I glanced at Mini and she nodded her head yes. I sat on my bed and she walked over, sitting beside me.

"So, I knew what time it was... and just everything goes bad. We almost left and they started to shoot at us!" She looked at me expectantly, but the confusion on my face made her sigh. "Sorry. Okay, so, apparently after this conversation we're gonna go downstairs and eat breakfast. Afterward you'll talk to Fang about leaving around noon- you think it's time we moved on. But Nudge says we should leave at three. Gives us more time to pack. You agree and that's when we leave."

"So you're saying we should leave at noon?" I asked her. She nodded her head and was silent for a moment.

"It gives us more time to get a head start," she said. I looked out the window. It was almost winter now; the leaves were changing colors and starting to fall. As for the grass, most of it was now dead, brown and yellow replacing the green color it had held when we first got here.

"Anyways, we leave at three, and everything just goes down the drain," Mini said in a soft voice. Her eyes were turning red and I could tell that she was holding back tears. "Omega attacks us. He starts shooting at us the moment we reach the sky. And he has a team too. And then..." She burst into tears. I watched Mini put her head in her hands as she cried. I didn't need to hear any more; somebody was going to die. I stood and grabbed one of Mini's hands.

"What are you doing?" she asked, wiping her eyes.

"We have a family to warn," I said shortly as I made my way out of the bedroom and into the upstairs hall. I dropped Mini's hand and walked down the stairs, Mini following behind, snuffling as we went down to the main floor. As we entered the kitchen, the smell of cooking food came at us in a rush.

In the kitchen was the most normal family scene I had ever witnessed. Ella was working on pouring frozen orange juice into a blue plastic pitcher while Nudge poured in the water. Nudge moved the pitcher onto the table for Angel to stir the orange concentrate and water together. Gazzy was passing out plates and napkins, Fang trailing him with utensils. Iggy was hard to miss, standing at the stove, the smell of bacon and eggs reaching my nose.

"Good morning," I said, trying to keep my voice light. Angel continued to stir as she looked up at me, smiling.

"Mornin' Max," she greeted me in her angelic voice. "Breakfast is going to be so yummy, I'm making…" She paused, looking at me more closely. "Max? Is something wrong?"

I should have known it wouldn't take my mind reader very long to tell something was up.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked up. "Max?" Fang asked, just as Iggy said, "Mini?"

I took and deep breath and turned to meet the eyes of my sister. She nodded somberly. They had to know.


	23. Getting Ready

**Ooh. A chapter. How exciting. :D Also, Read and Review please. Remember, I'm not begging, it's just a reminder. ;]**

As the Flock looked from me to Mini, their faces grew with anticipation, wondering why Mini seemed so depressed. Wondering why I was all antsy. Wondering why I wasn't able to make eye contact right away with anyone. When I simply glanced at Mini to help explain our situation I soon realized that her eyes had large deep black and blue bags under her soft brown eyes. Her face seemed to suddenly fall loose of any emotion that she was known for, happy and completely carefree. Was her nightmare more than a torture for her in general than us as a whole?

I sat down in a chair at the table and sighed as I simply watch Mini cover her face in embarressment. No help from her in explaination to my, er, our family. I opened my mouth, to only close it. The process happened about three times before Nudge crossed her arms And told me to spit it out. I grinned a hollow grin and tried to force words to form a sentence that madee a logical sense. It shouldn't be too hard, because my life has always been revolved around words. Whether they were serious, to loving, to sarcastic, they were there. But now, as I sit in a kitchen full of suspense, my way of words had found themselves stuck in a gutter.

Might as well be blunt then.

My hands held each other as I open my mouth once more, and like a waterfall words connected themselves to form sentences in some logical way. " We're leaving, today. Whether its right now. Or at noon. But the fact still remains, Itex found us again and its tme to pack our bags and hit the road." I finally say, my voice firm and taut.

I looked around, making eye contact with everyone in my Flock so they got the message that I wouldn't be persuaded about changing the time. At first, I was expecting my family to be the slightest bit disappointed, especially Nudge or Angel, but their faces held calm relaxed looks. As if I told them that I was going to jump off a building. Wings spread, mind you. Then again, It was normal life: safe at home one day, on the run the next

"But why can't you guys stay for another day?" Asked Ella, her expression pleading for answer that contained the phrase: 'Sure, why not?'. I shake my head no, I wasn't going to take the chance of getting my family killed, I'd be doing the exact oppisite of what my job was. " I know its been awhile, but, we had _plans_. Like, that hiking trip, and the swim in that lake five miles in the back. "

Mini stood forward her arms clamped to her side while her fists were balled up, showing white knuckles. Jus a few minutes ago, My sister loked as if she was feeling terminally depressed, but now, I could have been mistaken for this Angry figure standing only a few feet away from me. I blinked when she spoke, neveer hearing her talk in such a low voice. "So does Itex, Ella. Here's a few examples un what will happen if we do stay." Mini held up her hand and began to count off the few things that came to her mind "Death for us all. Torture beyond belief. Cages. Do I need to continue?" Ella shook her head violently, but Mini did anyway. "Have you ever got a shot of poisen injected into your arm? It only takes five minutes for it to cycle through your body before it kills the heart."

Angel was starting to shake while her brother was trying his best to not hypervenilate. I stood up and swiftly stalked over to Mini and clamped my hand over her mouth violently. "Shut up." I hiss into her ear through thin lips. What was she thinking? Bringing up memories that we tried so hard to bury? Mini grabs my hand and throws it away from her face.

" I- I just don't want to die today." She whispers, glancing at Iggy.

Mini and Iggy had been basically together since day one. As the previous weeks had passed by, it had become increasingly more obvious. The relationship had lasted, despite some drama between my sisters. It was easy to see that Ella still held somewhat of a crush towards Iggy. Much to her dismay, the new couple stayed strong. And now, even Mini's tiny glance at Iggy had Ella looking like she wanted war. Over a boy who didn't know the difference between bombs being used for good versus bad.

"Really? _Really?"_ Ella's outburst seemed to unnerve us all. She screamed at Mini. "Just because you happen to share real blood with Max and date your current lust doesn't mean you can ruin the day we had planned out!" Ella must have known she was being irrational. Still, I winced as she hurled these harsh words at my twin.

Rolling her eyes, Mini spoke. "Fine. Get a bullet in your head, Ella. I. Don't. Care." She stalked past Ella, her eyes daring and cold as she poured herself a glass of orange juice, seized a slice of toast and stormed away to our bedroom without another word. She met my eyes on her way out, her expression a challenging one. Then she swiftly turned and left. I held in a groan. With my sisters acting the way they were, I wasn't too sure we would be out by noon. But Dear God in Heaven, I hoped so.

The flock and Ella stood still in the kitchen, no one saying a word. Fang and I exchanged glances, this was not going well. I opened my mouth to say something, anything, when Mom marched into the kitchen. Her curly hair was everywhere, even worse than Minimum's had been this morning. Her lips were thin and she was glaring daggers. I began to wonder if Mini got her short anger fuse from our mom. "What is going _on_ in here?" she demanded, her voice practically the opposite of its normal welcome/cheerful tone. "All I hear is yelling from this room. Mini is throwing items around in the bedroom. It already looks like a tornado went through!"

As we listened to my mom yell, Ella and the flock stirred with shock. Mom took a deep breath and pointed at me. "Speak. _Now_."

I shrugged my shoulders, acting as if the little piece of drama had never truly happened. As if it were that easy. "I just finished telling everybody that we, the flock, are leaving today."

Mom's eyes widened and I had the feeling that if they got any larger, they would pop out of their sockets and roll onto the floor. I make a face at the mental image. "Today? Already? But...why?" Mom asked, her voice changing from angry to upset.

"In short, Mini had a bad dream about today," I explained bluntly. It was too difficult to explain the whole thing.

The tension had somewhat left the room with Mom's anger. Still, something felt off. I looked around the room once more, trying to figure out the missing puzzle piece. Iggy had started to finish cooking up the rest of the food while Nudge placed plates piled with food onto the table. Angel and Gazzy were taking their seats. As for Fang, he was leaning against the far wall of the kitchen, out of the way. He was watching my mom and me. Everyone was here, except for Mini, who was destroying our bedroom. And wait a minute…"Where's Jeb?"

Mom fiddled with the hem of her shirt, not making eye contact right away. "He left early this morning... W-"

"You've got to be kidding me!" I snarled, standing up, cutting off my mother. _That ... weasel,_ I thought, disgustedly. He knew that today was going to be bad. So he left to protect his hide. "Alright crew. This is how it's going to go down. No questions asked," I said, making eye contact with everyone in the room. Ella sighed melodramatically and threw herself into a chair, crossed arms resting on the table.

"Ange, I need you to keep a fifteen mile radius on anything that has a brain. Read its mind. Let me know if you get anything threatening." Angel nodded her head of soft blond curls. I took a moment to be grateful that the flock was well-rested and clean. Now I just hoped that we could quickly slip back into our on-the-run mode.

"Got it," she said before hurrying off to the living room to concentrate, a coffee cup in hand and Total trotting behind her. Smiling, I looked at Gazzy.

"Kid, you get to stay up here with me. We're making lunchie bags," I dictated, pointing a finger at him with a raised eyebrow. He grinned, did an army salute, and piled his own plate of food. With a fork in hand, he marched off towards the dining room. I wondered vaguely how much he could eat before we began. At least he'd have a full tank of gas before we left.

"What about me?" asked Iggy as he turned off the stove-top. His face showed no sign of worry or fear, and he didn't appear to be upset about Ella's harsh words.

A sly grin grew across my face. "Don't tell me you haven't been working on anything of mass destruction these past three weeks," I said, putting my hands on my hips. A sheepish grin crawled onto Iggy's face, proving my point. "Awesome. Now go get them. I feel as if we're going to need a _lot _of explosives." I didn't watch him head downstairs, feeling slightly worried that I might eventually regret what I'd ordered. Now, I had two other people to boss around.

"Alright Nudge. You're next." She beamed at me, seeming to know what I wanted our fashionista to do. "Go help Mini pack all of our bags. Please. And think logically. As in gloves. I don't want to see you running around in shorts and skirts when it's snowing and the temperature is below zero."

Nudge bit her lip, hiding a nervous smile, reaching for a couple slices of bacon. "Can we leave a little bit later, like at three? Please? It will give us more time to pack." I turned my head before she ripped out her soft brown Bambi eyes on me. I would not let us follow the path of Mini's dream.

"Oh no, death is not on my agenda today, you know that," I said, giving her a stern look. "Nudge, the sooner we are out of here, the better. Trust me." With a disappointed look, Nudge slipped past my mom to reach the hallway to climb the stairs. One large disaster: avoided.

Now, it was just me, my mom, Ella, and Fang.

Fang pushed himself off the wall and headed toward the back door. "I'll keep a lookout from the sky," he said in his usual tone: calm and collected. I sighed in relief and muttered a thanks. It was as if he could read my mind sometimes. I watched him walk out the back door, his wings beginning to unfold. My mom came and wrapped me up in one of her motherly hugs. She knew how much I loved my flock.

"Everything will be fine," she told me, optimistic as ever. I felt my lips spread apart in a smile. I had the best mom ever.

Mom and I broke our hug. With a look of bravery, she took Ella by the hand, and they headed upstairs to begin packing as well. More than likely, Itex would attack Mom and Ella before they targeted us. Knowing Ella, it was probably a difficult concept to get through her mind.

With a sense of relief, I turned around to see Gazzy pulling out gallon-sized lunch bags and throwing granola bars, apples, carrot sticks, anything that was edible and wouldn't go bad during a flight or fight, onto the table. "Good job Gaz, let's start packing, it shouldn't take too long," I said as I rummaged through the fridge, hoping that there was still that jar of peanut butter.

* * *

"You think it's just an early flight?" Kaniera asked. She sat beside Omega as they watched the dark-haired boy fly in large loops fifteen minutes from his home. Omega shook his head in anger.

"Of course not, you idiot. Watch his eyes. They're searching for us," Omega responded sourly. _How did they know?_ he thought to himself in rage. He had never, ever had a target one step in front of him. He put the binoculars back to his face and glared through the glass, watching as the boy swept through the air gracefully, circling Omega's hunting camp.

"Well, I'm not part bird. Therefore I wouldn't know, _moron_," Kaniera said in disgust, loudly. Completely destroying their hiding spot. Omega gave Kaniera a hard glare as her thick golden tail swished back and forth, expressing her anger. Omega winced as he realized that his colleague had called him a moron. It was the same term Mini used to use when he said something stupid. That was before he had been turned into a superhuman.

Omega sighed in relief as Kaniera began to calm down. At least she wasn't trying to eat him today.

"Did you have anything for breakfast?" Omega asked in a careful tone, making an attempt at smalltalk. Maybe it was pointless while on a mission. But he had to try to befriend the human-felix mutant. Because once she trusted him, Omega would have her wrapped around his finger. He smiled evilly.

Kaniera smiled as well, showing all of her sharp white teeth. "I had a nice big white dog for breakfast," she said, showing Omega her wounded arm, which was obviously in the process of accelerated healing. Omega pushed her arm away, bored. "It was kinda cute," she continued. "Put up a good fight and all." She turned back to the sky, watching the flying freak turn around and head to the safety of his home. Omega smiled grimly; they would just have to attack earlier than planned, that was all. And he was ready.


	24. Soldiers

**I have one thing to say about the slow update. Writer's block, it's a horrible disease. It's truly a horrible curse. But it's slowly pulling through to its end, so no worries. Also, here is Chapter twenty four. Woohoo! I, for one, am excited how things are turning out for the lovely Flock. :] Remember to RR**

Twenty minutes after my dictation was sent out amongst my Flock, Mini and Nudge, both calm, carried backpacks up to the main hall. They dropped them off, letting themselves clutter the hallway. All six backpacks, including Mini's new one that mom had given her for the hiking trip that was supposed to happen today. But with the change of plans, Mini decided to just keep the backpack for the new adventure. As in, her first travel with us. It's going to be strange to have an eight member flock. Because normally it was the original six then Total came along as number seven. But I guess some way, Mini was part of this Flock, she just hadn't shown up until now.

After awhile, I found myself sighing in relief, glad to know that things were getting done. Slowly, yet surely. I left Gazzy in the kitchen to pack the rest of the carrot sticks and to hunt down the juice boxes while I could double check on the backpacks, then check on Angel and Iggy to see how they were holding up. I was fairly positive that the kid could do a simple job without anyone looking over his small shoulders. Besides, he was my little trooper after all.

I unzipped the nearest backpack that seemed to be calling my name; Iggy's by the safety pins that were pinned to the front of the dark blue backpack; the innards were revealed to me. A few layers of clothing that happened to be a few shirts that were folded on top of pair jeans. Yet, underneath the single pair of jeans, laid a dark purple tank top sitting there in its' sneakiness. I had to stifle a laugh as I looked at the size on the tag from the shirt. Medium, it read. Of course, I wouldn't be surprised if Mini was the stealthy ninja who packed extra clothes that belonged to her in Iggy's backpack. I laughed out loud at the thought of Iggy wearing one of Mini's tank tops that she had secretly stashed away at a motel after a hot shower.

For the safety of the rest of my flock, myself included, I ended up double checking the rest of the backpacks to make sure there weren't any more stow away shirts. In the end, after finding a few more of Mini and Nudge's clothes in my own backpack, I decided that I was extremely proud of the girls; every pack had at least two pairs of jeans and a few shirts to match. There were neither shorts nor skirts. They deserved some cookies after this mess was over with.

No, _I_ definitely deserved some cookies when this mess was over with. This is because I'm Max and Max likes cookies.

Angel was priority number one to check up on, because she's the mind read. I left the hall and peered into the living room, casually looking around, I saw Angel sitting on the brown suede couch, with her eyes closed. Yet, her expression was completely serious. Like a PH.D or some College professor who never knew how to smile. One hand was holding the half empty mug of coffee; the other was stroking Total's black furred head. Total's head rested on Angels' lap, her skinny white legs propped up on the coffee table. I tip toed into the room, doing the best I could do to stay quiet for Angel's concentration.

I sat down across the room into Mini's recliner and tapped my fingers on the arm rest. Angel's eyes opened slowly, they quickly blinked as if she was waking up from a hypnotic state. I gave her a moment later for her eyes to adjust to the darken room; the clouds had decided to that it'd be funny to cover up the sun for the next hour or so.

"Hi, Max." Angel says softly, her voice almost as quiet as Total's snoring, which wasn't a very good comparison after he lets a dinosaur like snore shatter the quietness of the darkened room.

"Hey, Honey. Did you find out on anything?" I asked her, my voice not as quiet as I was hoping for. I leaned my torso closer to her, in case if she didn't want to talk any louder.

Angel nods her head slowly; her bright blue eyes are dimmed with sudden tears. "They're coming now." She says her voice thick with emotion. I bit my lip as I got off the recliner and down beside Angel on the couch. I wrap an arm around her shoulders and squeeze my hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry about it too much, alright? We'll be safe in the air before they can even scream 'attack'." I say, my voice confirming what I felt. Confidence. Angel nodded her head into my shoulder, eyes springing wet tears from her eyes. I swallowed back the cotton that formed in the back of my throat. I had to remember that Angel was still a little girl. She shouldn't be going through this. But she is. "I promise I'll make this trip be the last." I whispered into her ear. After kissing her forehead, I got off the couch and smiled down at Angel. "I promise." I added before walking away.

Thunderous footsteps followed by insane giggles came from one of the upstairs bedrooms that followed Nudge's all too familiar screech of excitement. I hear my mom shout at Ella and Nudge to get ready and then it is quiet once more. I smile to myself as I continue to the basement, knowing that mom was handling the girls fairly well on getting them set. Nudge, I knew for sure she'd be fine. Bust as for Ella, she had to pack her bags very fast. But with the help of an experienced Nudge, Ella's belongings would all be packing a matter of minutes.

As I head down to the basement of where the guy's lair the smell of a public pool mixed with the nastiest rotten eggs enters my nose. I protect my nose with the sleeve of my pajama shirt as I storm down the stairs. The bedroom door is closed and the sound of Mini's laughter followed by Iggy's new low chuckle is coming from behind it. Iggy cracks another joke and I can hear Mini's laughter escalate through the door. I shake my head; I've heard the joke before. Time and time again. Honestly, it wasn't very funny, especially after the thirty-ninth time.

"Okay, one more." Iggy chuckles, as he swiftly comes up with another wise crack joke. "Which country reminds all of us of Thanksgiving? "

Mini in turn giggles like a little girl. "Hmm… I don't know. What is it?" She asks, and I can almost see the happiness written in her voice.

"Turkey," Iggy answers, clearly proud with the joke that gave Mini a laughing fit. Her uncontrollable giggles seemed to make our tense situation a little loose around the edges, then I remember that someone is out to kill us. Which get's me all hyped up again.

Deciding that it was time for me to enter their small world for a wakeup call, I Sparta kick the door, screaming, "THIS IS MAX!" The door swings open from my kick, making the happy couple jump in response. I grin, glad that my job was halfway done. "Good, now that I have your attention; we're leaving in ten." I inform them as I lean against the wall. I raise an eyebrow, at the couple.

The two of them were sitting across from each other with a fairly large bomb between them. Mini picks up two wires that were lying against the device." Ig, Which one: a blue or a green wire?" She asks, clearly ignoring me, holding each wire in front of Iggy, who reaches for the green wire. Satisfied, he scientifically places the wire in its rightful home inside the bomb. His sensitive fingers twitch the slightest and he smiles his 'mission accomplished' smile. "Is it time to leave?" Mini asks me, as she turns to look at me in thee eyes for the first time since the screaming fest in the kitchen.

I nod my head, resisting the urge to laugh; I say "Weren't you listening? We're gone in ten and I'm not leaving anyone behind." With this statement, Mini smiles like a little kid eating ice cream for the first time.

"Really? You won't leave me behind?" She asks, her face lightening up like Tinkerbell came through, sprinkling her golden pixie dust everywhere.

"Yes Mini, I promise," I tell her smiling. "Why do you think I'm going to suddenly ditch you?" I ask my twin, confused. She's part of the flock, and I don't leave anyone behind.

My sister's face flushes deep red in sudden embarrassment towards my question. "I… I don't know." She says, hiding her face in her own long golden brown hair. With the roll of my eyes I wave a see you later and head up stairs, to finish my rounds.

I return to the Gasman, who was currently getting ready to finish the packing spree. The food baggies were finally done after that long search for a peanut butter jar that turned out to be found in the trashcan, half empty. So, instead of peanut butter sandwiches, Gazzy and I improvised. We made plain old butter and banana jelly sandwiches. Not the best taste, but they do their job; Filling the hunger pangs that occurred every fifteen minutes.

During one of the makings of a sandwich, Iggy was bringing up the majority of his explosives so that we had them up and ready to let loose later on. After a quick persuasion for food, Iggy had agreed and took one of the finished products, made by yours truly, moi. It took about a half second for him to take a bite, spit it out and the throw the poor sandwich away into the trash with the half empty peanut butter jar.

Gasman was nearly rolling on the floor with laughter, as was I. Our dear taste bud abused friend left us, rambling about poor quality of food and needing psychiatric help. In contrast, we gave all the sandwiches to a waddling Magnolia, who eventually barfed them up later on.

Gazzy was debating if we should bring juice boxes, but after a few moments of considering a spill or leakage, he declined the boxes and placed a few of them into the fridge. The others, he kept for a thirst puncturing one open with his yellow thin straw and inhaling its contents, Fang came through the back door, the one who had left in only a few twenty minutes ago.

He walked over to me stiffly with narrowed eyes. They were calculating something that was unknown to me. Just as I was zipping up the last bag of chips, Fang grabbed my face in his calloused hands and kissed my lips urgently.I gasped at the sudden event and then slowly kissed him back, smiling. He pulled back, his eyes a cold black. His deep voice made the blood in my veins freeze on the spot. " We have to leave, now," He told me his voice in a a mere foreheads were touching, my breath shallow along with his. _Why now?_ I wondered with a mushy mind from kissing Fang.

"Eww. Get a room," Gazzy said after tossing the second juice box into the trash. "Really, my innocent eyes can't take this much longer." And for a moment, I was glad that he knew how to build bombs. We had some sort of weapon that was almost as reliable as fists.

Fang pulls back from me and wipes his previous persona off from earlier and smiles towards his baby brother." Understood, soldier." He says standing stiff, saluting Gazzy palm up, who saluts as well from his superior. I can't help but hide a smile of appreciation towards Fang. " Are you ready for battle, soldier?" Fang asks, almost demanding in a loud voice.

Gazzy nods his head, going along with Fang and shouts, " Yes, sir!"

Fang lowers his hand and raises his eyebrow towards Gazzy. " Are you sure? This battle be dangerous and it will be to the death."

" There is no such thing as a battle too dangerous until it is proven otherwise." Gasman responds, his voice loud and clear, grabbing the attention of the rest of the family. " I will fight along side this family until I am cold and dead... with age." He shouts, clearly knowing that if he set himself with higher standards, he will recive high standards, not from us as a family, but for him as an individual. I smile, pride radiating from my skin.

_You've taught them well, Max._ The Voice whispers in my head. And I can't help but agree, for once.

**_So guys, What do you think. I know its late. but t's finally here! I'm so happy that I have this chapter finally finished. It brings tears to my eyes. Anys ways. Please review. It makes wonders._**


	25. Part one: Nudge and Gazzy Start the War

**Oh My God! Chapter 25! Hey guys, long time, no... writing? Yeah, just about, haha. This first part of chapter 25 took a whole ten months! Literally. Not like I've been putting much into it before. But this past week, I really got to work. About time, right? New year, new Resolution! **

The Flock and I are about ready to head out, I thought, grimly, as I take in the living room surroundings. Mini's La-Z-Boy recliner by the entrance from the hall, my favorite Love Sofa that Jeb caught Fang and I making out on a few nights ago. The Movie Couch, placed directly in front of the television for after dinner movies that still has kettle corn popcorn kernels embedded into the seats. Mom's decorative fireplace, holding pictures of us all, captured in the moment.

There's one with Angel and the Gasman, their arms wrapped around each other with bright white smiles that are plastered on their clean faces. With their identical blonde hair and electrifying blue eyes; Just looking at it made my heart melt. It was that sweet. Somehow, it made them seem half normal. Despite the fact their wings were protruding from their backs, it was as normal as it was gonna get. Even for us.

My fingers lightly touch the one with Mini and I. To the left of the photograph, she's doing a one handed hand stand; her legs are spread out while her free hand is stretching out one of her legs to keep her balance. Her golden brown hair covered the crunchy grass below her head. On the other side of the picture, I'm practicing the famous toe-touch that I had sheer concentration on. my eyes squinting and with my tongue sticking out of the side of my mouth slightly. Of course, Nudge took the picture, so, it's probably the reason why my movement in mid-air was caught perfectly as well as Mini's form was ideal.

A faint smile appears to me as I glance over the pictures, grouped, doubled, family, and coupled. Mom placed two small pictures of Fang and I in a single frame. And she also did the same for my sister and Iggy, whose pose so simple, it made my smile hurt. Iggy had his arm around Mini's waist pulling her close as she looked up at him, her smile so pure, that anybody who looked at them would be able to _feel_ the love between them pour itself out of the picture and into themselves. My eyes blinked, realizing how alarming to just know that your mom is into your own relationship more than yourself.

A presence appears beside me, out of the corner of my eye; identify my second half as I pick up a frame of Ella and Nudge. The sides of their faces were smeared together as they showed off goofy smiles that haven't been seen before.

Mini, arms crossed, stares at the same photo, her deep brown eyes appear to be blank; A trademark that has rubbed off from me to her. "You think we should grab them?" She asks, her voice monotone, emotionless. I turn to her, to really look into her eyes, the portal of the soul. And I knew that she was hiding her fears, the worries for the latter of the day.

Shrugging my shoulders," If you want to," I respond, watching my sister grab all the picture framesand shoving them into her backpack. I turn around just as my eyes meet our mother's soft brown ones.

Mom grabs our arms, and pulls us together so that we are standing in front of her. Her soft brown eyes are looking at us, mine to Mini's and then to mine once more. Her voice is soft, but serious; she knows what she's doing. "Protect one another. Keep each other's backs." She tells us, her voice beginning to get firm. Her eyes are taking both of us, as if she's trying to keep the memory of us alive. I force a smile, trying to make her know that what's she's saying will come true. Soon enough, my- our mother's eyes begin to water up, red and soft. "I love you guys, so much." She whispers, gathering us up into one giant hug. "Never forget that." She adds before she pulls away, wiping away the sneaky tears.

Beside me, Mini wraps her arms around mom's waist, burying her face in her neck, practically sobbing. But in the midst of it, she's telling her she loves her too. Mom instantly hugs back; squeezing Mini's tightly packed winged-back. Mom closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, releasing my twin from her grasp. This might be the last time they might see each other again… alive. I push back the wad of cotton that begun to grow in the back of my throat. Willing myself to not cry in front of everybody, I step up to mom and give her a quick hug and whisper in her ear. Maybe, I was just caught in the moment when I told her how much I appreciated everything that she did for us. How much I loved her, how amazing it was to have a real mom that didn't care about what I looked like. All she wanted to love was my heart, and that's what gained my trust towards her.

When we pull apart, her eyes are redder than before; a weak smile is what she offers before she takes hold of the Gasman, telling him how wonderful it was to get to know him, to see who he truly was. In response, my brother pats her back, feeling awkward and a little sad. "I love you too," He says, his voice distant. I send him a quick wink after they part, he was my trooper, and one of the things in life I taught him was that being a softy was never good, even If I'm such a hypocrite now.

Mom and Ella make their rounds, giving hugs to everybody. Telling everyone how much they love everybody. Most definitely sappy and mushy, and so not me. But the only thing that I can think of is how in the world they're going to get down the mountain alive. Fang and Iggy carry out their suitcases, while Ella comes up to me, taking in a hug that was much deprived.

Neither of us said a word. We didn't have to. Nothing was meant to be said. After we part, Mini and Ella, for the first time since she's been in our lives hugged each other. It was a short lived embrace, yet, it told everything silently.

Mom places her hand gently on Ella's thin shoulder's and directs her out the door. This was the parting, the goodbye. But how long this separation would last, left me clueless. Staying at Mom's place for such a long time, it gave vulnerability that we were all predicting. We took the risk by the bull's horns, and now all we have to do now is go for the ride.

I suppose, when it comes down to somebody being the 'Leader', I am the one who steps up to that plate. To take the bat in my hands and throw the first swing. You know, take one for the team. To get them that first goal so that everything else would fall into place later on; Even if it takes awhile to get there. But then, people wonder why me, a female is at that plate, instead of say, Fang for instance. Of course, I'll admit, I may be strong, I may seem as if I'm invincible, but the thing that probably keeps me asleep at night is that I know that I have Fang as my right winged man. Or something to that effect at least.

"Alright guys," I begin, putting my hands on my hips circling the flock into a group. Checking and double checking that everybody has their backpack. Their entire life was in those things. "The road in front of us is going to be harsh. But it can be quick." I say, getting in front of the Flock, making sure to make eye contact with everybody, including Iggy, which at the same time was kind of pointless. Seeing as how he was putting finishing touches onto his 'sticky bombs'.

I smile grimly, hoping that my choice of words wouldn't fall short. "Today… today will be the day we will tell the school, by actions, that we are not some lab rat, following instructions. We will tell them, that we are stronger than their newer robotic experiments." I nod my head, agreeing what I was to say. "We may be genetically enhanced, but remind yourself that being enhanced is the key term in all of this." I wasn't expecting to have a crowd of cheers, or for everybody to agree. I just wanted them to understand where I was coming from, as a leader, a sister, and a friend.

It took about all of fifteen seconds for the Flock to head up to the sky, with Fang and I left behind to catch up on the enemies' news. I strapped my back pack tight to my shoulder, the higher it was on my back, and the easier it was on wings to have a broader movement.

"Their a few miles into the forest," Fang began with the report, tightening his own straps as well. "Omega has Erasers, as well. There is a few lion ones who don't have wings and the wolf ones do."

'Fantastic,' I thought gravely. I suppose Itex missed their old companions. After getting rid of the original Erasers, they replaced them with Flyboys, which of course were flammable and were much easier to destroy. If these were the real Erasers, more than likely they are enhanced to fit the requirements to stay alive longer. "So, stay on our toes?"

"All the time," Fang responded, his mouth formed a grim line. "And… Akila..." He added, softly, his voice barely a whisper. "I found her remains while I was flying over the area."

I'm pretty sure that my train of thought went: That bastard, Omega. At least she's in a better place. Poor dog. Oh no! Total is going to throw a fit!" What do we tell Total?" I asked with wide eyes. I crossed my arms over my chest, and looked at Fang, who was also in thought.

"We tell him the truth; after we make camp tonight." He says bluntly before turning off the porch, spreading his dark wings and then in a matter of mere seconds, went airborne, flying above the house. Rising, higher each time his long wings flapped to the rhythm of nature.

A00fter idolizing Fang and the way he flew so gracefully, I spread out my own wings and took to the sky. I, too, followed the natural rhythm of the flapping of the wings. The faster, the farther I got.

I suppose it begins with pulling a trigger, like all guns are made to be. A trigger was pulled, thus, releasing a bullet that flew faster than I. I thank God for that. Because what I heard, what I felt scared me half to death than death that should have been presented towards me.

Loud, an echo from the forest, the result of making made my heart stop, and then I slowly descended, from stopping my momentum. Like fire, metal grazed the top of my head, leaving me with semi-burnt hair.

I fold my wings in fast enough for me to drop, and like any other raptor, I angled my body, nose diving towards the ground fast. Soon enough, as practiced, my body became parallel with the ground beneath me, the wings that kept me alive for so long, slowly spread in some dramatic way to keep me airborne long enough to skim the surfaces of the earth before rising to meet my frantic flock, like a rocket.

"This is war," I shout to my flock, anger coursing through my body like a freight train. I take in a deep breath through my nose as I sent out a glare. I don't handle being shot at fairly well now a' days.

"Max, are you okay?" Angel asks carefully, her wide blue eyes were filled with worry, and relief. She smiled, thankful that I was alive. _We thought you died._ She thought to me, her face sullen.

_I thought so too. _I sent back, with a small smile, despite my anger.

"We heard the gun shot and then we watched you fall. And then we thought you died. And then Mini started to cry. And then I started to cry…. And then, you were angling yourself like a plane, or those baby brown birds, they sound so happy when they sing, but there not singing now, so it's so sad. And then, you were flying. And then…." Nudges mouth was closed shut by Gasman's hand. I sent him a thankful smile as I pat the top of my head in annoyance. My hair was still hot.

I sent Fang a look that told him everything, a look that only he took to by heart. Nodding his head, he began to fly up and then after he got enough distance, he pulled off a quick loop dee loop before he took off, flying in a large circle to keep a threatened look at Omega's team.

"Alright guys," I start out, hands on my waist has I made myself to stay in the air, by the constant flapping of the wings. Despite that Fang was circling the area, I knew that he could hear me over the little rush of the winds. "Fang and Iggy are going to flank me from above through a sky attack. Iggy, you know what to do with your bombs and that big one." I point to the incredibly large makeshift bomb that was in Iggy's arms. He gave off a toothy smile before he rose in the air, making way. Nudge flew in and took Iggy's place to get a better grasp on the plan.

"Ange," I instruct, pointing to her, "I don't want you being one of the main targets in this battle." I told her honestly. "So, I'm gonna have you fly up the highest you can with your brain sill functioning to attack the Erasers from physic blasts." I explain, using my hands to express the great deal of wanting her to be safe.

"Got it, Max," She responded with a single nod of her head as she too, flew up vertically in the air, her head up as she focused to herself to rise high enough to still be safe and attack from a distance.. Total's black head was sticking out of the top of her back pack, his ears plastered to his head as I watched him squirm from the great deal of height. He'd have to deal for now, I thought with a dismissive glance.

Lowering my dictating finger, I looked directly at Nudge then Gazzy, with a crazy smile on my face. Sometimes I had to bend the rules a bit to get a head start in life. "This is probably the only chance I'm going to let you do this." I began, hurrying up my war speech as my gaze casted to below us.

The trees began to shake and a few collapsed as the School's new army of recombinant life forms made their way to the forest line and to the open field, with the tall home in the center. With their destruction for a place that the Flock and I called home, my anger towards Jeb, The School, Omega and the Erasers grew increasing. With a red face, I turned back to my soldiers.

"Magnetic Girl, Attract their weapons and destroy them quickly," I commanded, "Those guns are their strength and our weakness." With a quirk nod of her head, Nudge flew up and then did an immediate nose dive, with her torso folding over, like a swimmer, her legs followed her down. I watched her fly above the tree tops, her tanned palms of her hands facing the Erasers as she flew like a ballerina, dancing in the air in fast forward. As she flew, Nudge was able to attract a horde of dark guns, she flew even faster soon after, realizing that getting shot at wasn't on her to do list, either.

As Nudge flew higher into the sky, her tawny wings beating against the wind effortlessly, the circular ball of guns that she snatched from the Schools fancy Erasers trailed after her. I watched, appalled as Nudge whistled in a high pitch voice, catching Iggy and Gazzy's attention. As well as everbody else.

I didn't have to say a word as Gazzy sprung into action flying with speed and diligence that I haven't seen before. He flew up to Iggy, grabbed one of the 'sticky' bombs and literally threw it at the large mass of guns. Letting it explode, a rain of bullets shredded the forest and it's contents as Nudge dropped the ball of fire on top of a group of Omegas' team.

I grinned excitedly as Nudge and Gazzy started the beginning of the war. I was so proud of them.


	26. Part two: Everlasting Battle

**Chapter 26 Part two: The everlasting Battle**

I knew it was the pride that I held for Nudge and the Gasman that led me to believe we were invincible. This war that Itex wanted, my flock was holding the trophy of life so far. As the duo came back, their faces red from the wind and the exploding attack; I sent them each a high-five for both of them. Nudge beams at me, sending thumbs up, her soft brown eyes were wild with adventure. I noticed that her fingers where slightly twitching that the adrenalines rush that was still pumping through her, and grinned. This was the life we lived for.

I glance at Mini, hoping for her to get the idea. If she wanted to live through the day, she would have to get down there and well, fight. To fight back and show them who's boss in this encounter. I knew that I had to fight up here with my flock, and although Mini was never given the ceremony to join the flock, Somehow, in the midst of this, I felt like if we could win this and still live, this would be her admission ticket that would get the approved check mark on it in green ink.

"I'll do an aerial attack and take out Omega," She says, her voice cool and neutral. She knew the words had to be said, and I sent her smile. Omega would be the hardest, but I knew she could hold her own for awhile. Just enough for her to put in damage before flight mode would be needed.

"I'll be down there to help you out if anything goes wrong," I reassured her with a nod of my head. She nods too, determination pouring through her eyes. And it was there that I realized how similar we truly were. The differences that were kept between us were there to distinguish our own personalities, morals, and beliefs.

When Fang came back, the slightest hint of a smile was barely traceable, despite how this situation wasn't a smiling one; we got ourselves the upper hand before Omega could start shouting orders.

"Max, from what I got from Nudge and Gazzy's assault, about a small percentage of their Eraser troops is dead." He reported. Ahh, do I love the sound of military slang. I nodded my head once, curtly, to signal the understanding of the condition we were now in.

Mini salutes us respectfully, with a smile on her face as she folds herself backwards, aiming downwards towards her goal spiraling in air in a graceful splendor before straightening out in a speedy descent. Speed directly towards the ground at a good angle that would determine the way her landing would turn out to be.

As we watched my twin head downwards Omega and his army stepped out of the forest, gathering around the tree line. By the time Mini was already half way down, Omega struck out his arm, and opened his mouth, and instantly his Eraser army took to the skies.

We watched the mass of dark brown Erasers take action as they jumped over one another as they extended their newly efficient wings as they took flight. I glanced at Fang, and his dark eyes narrowed.

"Eraser 2.9?" He asked his knuckles were turning white as he clenched them.

I nodded my head, as I watched the horde come closer as the altitude they were climbing was increasing dramatically. "Maybe 3.0," I offered. Fang turned his head to look at me.

"Max." He said in a soft voice that caught the wind. We were losing time.

"Yeah?" I raised my hand in the air, catching Nudge and Gazzy's attention. My extended hand clamped down into a fist. In the back, I could hear Gazzy holler, his voice rising into a war cry that he's practiced to many times to count.

"It'll be okay." Fang said, He positioned his body, flapping his wings as his body was parallel with ground below us.

"I know." I said, flapping my own wings to gain altitude. The Erasers were closer now; I could see their individual yellow teeth and fangs in their wolfish snouts. The scenery made me gag as I remembered the foul smell that their mouths held.

"We'll win today," Fang added, in the corner of my eyes, I could see his classic smirk.

With a quick nod of my head, I respond, "I know."

Behind his binoculars, Omega smiles, as if he already knows he already won, while he watches his thick army swarms the once blue skies. He could see the Flock, he watches them rise higher and higher into the sky, there is no escape. He knows that they won't back down now. It's too late.

Beside him, the human-Felix hybrid roars in satisfaction, signaling the beginning of the war. Through the binoculars he could see his first row of erasers already starting to attack Max and he group. With a smirk, he lowers his binoculars and signals the impatient Kaniera to battle.

He could see her golden hide race across the field before she jumps onto the back of a fellow soldier before he takes flight. It was beautiful. Music to his ears, he thought to himself proudly. The roars of the Erasers fill in the silent sound waves as they fought offensively.

From here, safe on the ground, he could see the pale bird kid throw an explosive that took out ten of his most decent soldiers. He watches his fallen soldiers decline to the earth, taking others with them, the unlucky ones who got in the way as they try to reach the high altitude to continue the battle.

Up here, in the sky, we had the advantage on this side of the fight. The first Eraser greets me with a snarl; snot is hanging out of his nostril as he nears me. He raises his beefy arm, as if to whap a fly, and swings in my direction.

Maybe it's been all the food I've been eating, but when I caught the Erasers arm and twisted agilely, I could feel the strength that I haven't felt before as I popped his arm out of his socket. With a satisfying pop, his eyes go wide as he screams out in pain he probably never felt before.

In the corner of my eye, I could see Fang kick an eraser solidly in the face before he spun into the next one. He grabs the other by the arm and swings him into his friend. The two both collapse, falling to the ground like the one I've been fighting.

I turn around to meet my new opponent who has already decided to slash away at the air as I dodge his tactics. Behind him I could see the flood of erasers as they swarm around us. The once blue sky is now filled darkness.

I elbow the Eraser in the ribs quickly, slam my knee into his gut, grab his bent head and shove him directly into the next eraser that was struggling to stay upright in the air.

Around me, to my horror, I watch the Erasers rise above me going towards Iggy and Angel. I shout out their names, only to receive a thumbs' up at Iggy who placed a bomb on an Erasers' chest. He rises in the air to fly in front of Angel whose eyes are closed in silent concentration.

As the bomb that Iggy placed on the Eraser detonates, the Erasers that are surrounding them suddenly collapse in the air. Their wings are fold in, their beefy hairy arms are forcefully clamped by their sides as they fall around us.

It was raining Erasers, literally. I almost let a smile claim my face as I noticed that the space around Iggy and Angel had been cleared. In the distance I could see Gazzy fighting strategically with three other beasts. He used the butt of a gun for his weapon, swinging it rapidly towards them, whacking one of them in the noggin. The second Eraser grabbed Gazzy's weapon, yanked it towards him, and the Eraser slammed his beefy balled fist into my soldiers nose.

Just before I cried out Gazzy's name in frustration, rapid shots of one of the guns opens fire above us. The bullets pierce the surrounding Erasers. Their howls of pain fill the air as we watch them fall towards the rushing ground.

I look above to see my sweet bubbly Nudge handling the massive gun, her brown eyes narrows in determination as she takes aim on the enemy once more. And as much as I want to disapprove of her use of the gun, I still smile knowing that she protected her brother.  
_

The air is thick with Erasers as I try to make my way down to the ground where I feel safe the most. As much as my instincts want to stay airborne, I decline with trouble as the wolfy beasts snarl in my ears, their claws extended as they slash at the wind, threatening my life. The sound of guns releasing their bullets urges me to go faster with my decline.

I had to get to Todd. I had to reason with him. He was, is my friend. He worked on his own schedule, his own rules. And what hurt me the most, inside, was that he was on their side. He swore that he would always fight against them and not with. It broke my heart that he was choosing this path.

My thoughts are crowded with old memories of laughter and friendship. My heart wants the future with my new found family. But somewhere in between, they collide with one another as I finally see his tense face smile dangerously up at me. My stomach does a million back flips as my gaze takes him in.

From the sky, I can still see him as perfectly as I could if I were standing in front of him. Todd's eyes were no longer green from the past, but now, those orbs that once captivated me were now an icy blue that scared me. Brown hair was tousled on his head. I lower myself steadily from the sky, avoiding the last of the Erasers and their claws that were aimed at my own vitals.

With only a few feet of space between me and the ground, I let myself land with a much practiced crouch. One hand in front of me, the other arm outspread for balance, knees bent tightly. Either side of me, my wings fill the browning ground. Standing up gracefully, I look up at Todd with narrowed eyes and a clenched jaw. His smirk still placed on his face, even as I approach him steadily. The new enemy does not lower his gaze as I fill his vision**. **

"Todd," I say in a stained voice. Here I am, starting a conversation with the leader of this army while my family is fighting above us to stay alive.

"Minimum," His voice has changed; it's deeper than I remember. But he says my name as if we never spent the last five… six years together. Yet, he still knows how to get under my skin. I glare harder at him.

I find myself staring at his shoulders, waiting for his wings to spread viciously in return to my glare, but the movement doesn't occur. "Why?" I ask, trying to not sound desperate or pleading. But it's hard to stay angry when I'm feeling these complex emotions. I want to cry out in anguish. And I want to punch him. But instead I take a deep breath to clear out my head.

Todd begins to walk backwards into the forest, his eyes never leaving my face. "'Why' you ask?" He questions me with his smirk, "its simple Minimum. I'm stronger. You're weak. The School gets you and the other freaks. I get my freedom." He laughs now, a hard belly laugh that makes the blood in my veins freeze solid. I follow his footsteps into the forest. The trees hide the activity in the sky. I don't look over my shoulder when I hear Nudges' high pitch scream slash through the air. Biting my lip, I continue into the forest, listening to Todd's voice that drowns out everything else.

"Now, why would I want to give up this opportunity?" He asks me, after he finishes his story of why he left Becky and I. How the School caught him. How they changed him. How he got the offer to capture us and in return get a clean start in the real word. My heart is racing inside my chest as I begin to recognize the danger I put myself in. I could no longer cry out for help. It was just me and Todd. And out of the two of us, he was most defiantly the stronger one.

I didn't need to fight him to know that. Seeing the muscles underneath his dark shirt concluded everything that I needed to know. Todd most defiantly changed. He suddenly throws his head of brown hair back to laugh loudly. Something I've never seen him do before.

Todd snaps his head forwards and glares at me with those new icy blue eyes of his. "But you know what, Minimum? I don't think the School will miss one little bird," He says, walking towards me now.

I take a step backward, ignoring the urge to break into a sprint that will save my life. My fists unclench and clench repeatedly as I avoid Todd's impeding glares. I try to laugh off the feeling of nearing death but it comes out as a thick cough.

He nears me, his fist being pulled back for the first swing that I find easy to dodge with a back flip that leaves my head swirling. In a whirl of fists and blocks, the two of us are fighting. I'm fighting to stay alive. But he's fighting to end mine.

Somehow, he was able to get the upper hand, even as I send a kick to his spleen; he catches my foot before it was able to land the blow that I was sure it would have him double over. But instead, in his hands, he twisted my ankle, easily snapping it.

My eyes grow wide as I suppress a screech. But, it comes out eventually.

"You are not worth my time," He snarls, throwing my crippled foot to the ground. I collapse as well, grasping for air as my foot twitched with sudden shock. I knew I had to focus. With my ankle being newly broken, I would have to do a lot of defense tactics.

"Todd, if you must know," I say, as I scramble from the ground, taking in a hiss as my broken ankle is given a small amount of pressure. "You aren't worth my time either, actually." He didn't say anything in return. But, actions speak louder than words.

His fist had strongly impacted my stomach, making me double over, coughing. Todd then swiftly elbowed the back of my neck, sending me to the ground, face first.

His rough hands took hold of my wrists, binding them together with twine. I could feel his presence, as he pressed his lips to my ear. "You are truly weak. You know that, right?" He hissed. "How are you supposed to 'save the world' with your sister if you can't save yourself?" The taunt made me struggle in response. I grunted as his boot was pressed ruthlessly onto my back. I could feel my wings shudder as they unfolded reluctantly.

"Weak. Just like your lover."He sneers from above me.

"That's not true," I argue, rubbing my head in to the ground, as I try to get to my knees. But the pressure on my back from his boot keeps me still. His taunting continues along with the insults that breaks my heart more than anything. Todd, the old Todd was never like this. And that person, that human-avian no longer existed. The person above me was Omega. An enemy, a foe.

His cold laughter fills my ears. My foot is growing numb from the shattered ankle. But somehow, in the midst of it all, I was able to find a small amount of strength. It was enough to rip the twine away from my wrists. It was enough for me to get up, to force his foot off my back as he tries to slam me back down to the ground.

In the distance I can Iggy's battle cry, and it gives me hope in this fight, although, my fight was more like me being pushed to the ground, than anything else. But, I know I have to try harder than this. People are depending on me. My family depends on this. I depend on this.

If I can have Omega retreat, his army would flee with him, and that would be our victory, the only victory that I needed to live through this event.

My eyes quickly search for something that I could use to aid me for defense and an offense. Only a few feet from where I was pushed down at, was a thick branch that had fallen some time ago. I swallow the cotton ball that grew in my throat as I reached out for a fallen stick, keeping a careful eye on Omega as he paced back and forth in front of me, talking about his past and how today would reflect his future. Because, apparently, once today ended, I wouldn't have a future if I'm dead.

Apparently.

My fingers latched around the drying bark of the branch, a sense of relief came to my senses, as I used my new weapon to help myself to stand back up. A grunt escaped my lips as I had pressed my injured foot to the ground, while trying to balance myself out.

Eventually, to my surprise, I had fully gained a vertical position, with Omega being completely oblivious of my actions. When he ended his one-sided conversation, he snapped his head in my direction and snarled. I watched tediously as his lips curling back over his teeth in anger, much like an Eraser would.

I smiled at him, a victory smile. On one balanced foot, I held up my branch at arms length, poking Omega in the chest.

"As you can see, Omega," I began, my voice level with the seriousness of the situation I had put myself in. "I'm going to live once this is all over. Because I have a family that loves me."

Omega batted my branch away with the palm of his hand, "I don't think so." He stepped forward, and I took a step back, my victorious smile fading. "Once I kill you and your 'family', I get released from the school. I get the freedom that I deserve!" I watched his hand as it pulled out a pocket knife. He swiftly snapped it open in one smooth motion.

"I won't let that happen. I won't let my nightmares become my reality." I murmur, determined. Behind me, I could feel the trunk of the tree on the heel of my foot. Leverage. I kept my face in a blank expression, hiding the plan that I began to draw in my mind. I bent my knees, getting ready for Omega to make his move.

With the plan that I had in mind, the only thing that I knew thing that I knew I had to have, was speed. And a lot of it.

Omega, smiled his new smile that gave off the evil vibe. He snapped his wrist, letting the knife slice through the air as it was aimed at me.

I jumped into the air, performing a classic standing front tuck. With my knees pulled to my chest and my hands wrapped around my knees to prevent from falling apart in the air. I soon landed behind Omega, one foot solidly on the ground, and the other making contact to the side of my old friend.

I winced in pain, as my shattered ankle took in the impact of the kick that sent Omega stumbling over his own feet until he crashed into the ground, his hand clenching the spot where I had successfully kicked him.

Above the tree tops, a shadow falls on top of us. I look up, covering my eyes with my hand to avoid the suns' glare. Iggy's voice breaks the silence, "Let's go, Mini!" He shouts, with one hand outstretched towards me. I smile, Spread my wings and spring into the air.

And for once, I escape, the bad guy without him jumping at me and pulling me down with him. I reach Iggy, his hand laces with mine, as our wings work effortlessly against the wind as we make our way to the regrouping flock.

In all accounts, I was sure that we didn't do too badly. Nudge's nose was broken; Angel had a migraine as she was carried in Fangs' arms. Gazzy had a bullet wound in his arm and matching claw scratches that went across his chest that wasn't terribly severe.

"I really think we should land, and get you bandaged up, Gazzy," Max insisted, reaching for Nudges' backpack where she kept the first aid kit.

"No, Max! I'm fine, look, it's already healing," Gazzy persisted, as he fluttered away from Max's reach. I felt a smile stretch across my face, as I realize that my nightmares were just that… nightmares.

"So, Max? Where are we heading?" Nudge asks, carefully, as we follow Max's lead. Our leader, sister, takes to the front, her white and brown wings beating against the wind.

The girl with the browning hair looks over her shoulder, and shrugs. "I was thinking about taking a pit stop in northern Nebraska and Make our way east." She says, her voice stronger than the whipping wind.

The rest of the day went by as a blur as we mostly flew. When we did land in Nebraska, Iggy placed a splint on my ankle while Nudge bandaged my arm and then went over to Max and Gazzy where our leader was struggling with a ten year old child who was defiant about getting his wounds healed.

After we picked up our stuff and left the small dusty town, and before we took flight, Iggy had snuck in a kiss that was tediously placed on my cheek where it had been scraped by the knife the Omega had thrown at me. He takes hold of one of my hands, and squeezes before releasing me.

"Do you realize how worried I was today?" He asks me, just as the others take to the skies. Loose feathers rain down on us, and even though it's probably the most natural disgusting thing ever, all I could do, was wrap my arms around Iggy's pale neck.

"Enough to care?" I ask him, my lips brushing his earlobe that sends shivers down his spine. I beam at his reaction.

"Just barely." Iggy whispers back before he places one last kiss on my lips, before he spreads his sandy wings and takes flight.

* * *

**Max POV**

At the campsite, in a circle we sit around the fire quietly, watching the fire burn the wood. I finger my sore arm, wishing it would heal faster than it already is. The impatience was going to kill more than anything else. I clear out my throat, loud enough t grab the Flock's attention, which is just too easy. I smile warmly when I meet everybody's curious gaze. "I just wanted to let you guys know that I think we need to work on gaining some allies. And I think that our best bet is to start searching New York."

"Oh! Becky is in New York!" She claims with a hopeful smile. I can't hope but notice her fingers entwined with Iggy's. I send her a grin in response. In turn, her face lights up in hope of seeing her old friend.

Next to Iggy, Gazzy pumps his fist into the air excitedly. "I can't wait to meet Becky… or Night!" He cheers. His excitement soon ends as Fang places his calloused hand over his mouth, much like what we would do with Nudge.

I find myself frowning at Gazzy's outburst, but quickly shrug it off, as I realize that even though Night may be dangerous, she was also a priority to find, too, seeing as how she is Fang's cousin and all. And she does have a pair of wings, after all.

_Yes, Max. Having allies is the best thing that you could possibly gain while you save the world. _The Voice is back, along with a headache, but I push the frown into a smile anyways and enjoy the moment of bliss as Fang wraps his arms around me, as we listen to Gazzy's part of the fight.

I look around my flock, and smile. Tonight, we live like champions. Because tomorrow we will be warriors once again.

**END.**

* * *

**Oh my goodness! I'm done! The story is finished.**

**And I'm pretty sure I bs'd half of it. XD**

**I'm terribly sorry for the long update, I can't remember when I last did. How bad. Well, this is the last chapter. I might consider doing an epilougue. Maybe. **

**Anyways. I just wanted to thank you guys for reading and reviewing. It means a lot. **

**So thank you.**

**Love, Serenity. Jones.**


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